The Pages of Darkness
by Arrowsforever
Summary: The sequel to The Goddess of Light. Ten years in the future, Bultar Swan, Boba Fett, and the rest of the group who left to find Xiam have returned at last. But not everything is as it seems. Bultar has a secret, one that is stained with blood and already crying for more.
1. Chap 1 Swan

_A/N: Welcome to the sequel to my Star Wars AU fanfiction, The Goddess of Light, or TGOL._

_Please be aware that The Pages of Darkness (TPOD) is currently a temporary name. I might change it._

_This story will be focusing on the New Jedi Order located on Teth, and on the other Jedi and characters who didn't get much attention in TGOL. It takes place ten years in the future, when Bultar Swan and her group returns from their mission to find the perfect planet Xiam._

_Of course, ten years in the future, Leia and Shanti's triplets are much older and training to be Jedi._

_It will be written from many points of view, not just Shaak Ti, Shanti, and Luminara like in TGOL. The character will be identified in the chapter title._

_POVS that won't be referred to using initials:_

_Fay (because her initials are FU)_

_Eve (because it's short)_

_Jiam (see above)_

_Swan-Bultar Swan (because I don't feel like writing 'BS' in my chapter titles)_

_Everyone else will be referred to using initials. For example, Zett Jukassa would be 'ZJ', Kina Ha would be 'KH', and so on._

_I don't expect the P.O.V to be all that crazy, but it will be broader than in TGOL._

_And, without further ado, let us proceed into the actual story!_

_-Eve/Arrow_

* * *

"Who are you?" An unfamiliar ten year old demanded. I rubbed my forehead.

"Is Master Saa available?" His eyes narrowed. I had seen that exact same expression on someone else's face. And then I knew exactly who I was looking at.

"Jiam, go and get your mother. She knows me." He reached for the lightsaber at his belt.

"How do you know my name?"

"Look, just go get your mother." He shot me one last suspicious glance, then turned and left. I tilted my head backwards, and it thunked against an armored chest.

"We have been gone for a long time," Boba said. He rested his hands on my shoulders. "It has been at least ten years, judging by the boy. Funny how it seems like it was only three months." He laughed, his voice rich and deep.

"He looks just like Luminara," I said. "I wonder how the sithspawn turned out. Assuming Shanti didn't finally snap and kill her."

Boba said nothing as I bashed his friend and her child.

A face appeared at the gate. Brilliant green eyes set in a perfect face that still showed no signs of ageing. She looked more mature, but still shockingly beautiful. And she'd finally filled out. It was about time.

"Bultar! Boba!" Shanti said, and unlocked the gate. We entered. Lieia and Maki followed us.

"Where are the others?" She asked.

"Dead," Lieia said. "We were attacked by pirates. They fought and died bravely." Shanti's eyes went wide.

"And Wone…" She trailed off. I nodded.

"He died too."

Shanti paled. "That is terrible news. But it is good to see you again. It looks like it has not been that long for you, but it has been some time for us."

"How long, exactly?" Lieia asked.

"Almost eleven years," the half-clawdite answered. Jiam poked her in the side.

"Mom, who are these people?" He asked. Shanti smiled at her son.

"I forgot, you wouldn't remember Bultar. This is Jedi Master Bultar Swan. You've heard about her from Shaak and Obi-wan, right?" He nodded. "And that's Boba Fett, I know you know about him. And that's Lieias'ecura, Aayla's cousin, and Maki."

Jiam looked at me cautiously. He didn't like me. That was fine. I hadn't liked his parents or his adopted second mother either. Then I heard pounding feet and turned. Luminara had barely changed at all. Mirialians age extremely slowly, so that was to be expected. Behind her I saw Obi-wan, who looked ancient, Shaak Ti, who looked the same, and several other Jedi. Aayla's face finally looked like an adult. Tann was just behind her, and looked still rather childish. Ahsoka looked quite a lot like Shaak Ti. Zett was a man at last, tall and broad-chested. His Padawan braid was gone. So Shanti did manage to finish his training. What a surprise.

"Bultar!" Master Choi said. He had seen better days. His age was catching up with him. "You are looking well."

After pleasantries were exchanged, we went to the meeting room to give our reports. Along the way, I found out several unusual things. Ahsoka and Zett were due to be married. Shanti had finished Zett's training three years ago and took Leia as her next Padawan. Irka and Tann's training was also complete. Tann had taken Fay as her apprentice. Olee was mentoring Jiam, and Luminara was mentoring Eve. It made me almost sad to think of all that potential going to waste just because of a bad master…

"We did find Xiam. It is everything that we hoped for," I said, snapping back to the present. I talked about the perfect planet we had found. And then, we had to tell them. Aayla took Wone's death remarkably well, considering she had trained him with her blood and tears. Aside from our losses, we had one other bomb to drop. I was sad a certain blond Mandalorian was not here to hear it.

Luckily for me, I ran into Irka on the way out. She had three girls with her. Leia had grown into a lovely young thing, that was for sure. She had long brown hair and a soft, heart shaped face. A mini-Amidala. Fay looked a lot like her mother, only with blue eyes. Eve made me smile. She was a female version of Sidious in every way. She moved with elegance far beyond her age. I could tell her skill with a lightsaber was extraordinary, just as I had predicted when she was a baby.

"Eve, Fay, Leia, this is Master Bultar Swan," Irka introduced me. I didn't waste any time on Fay and Leia. Others could worry about them all they wanted.

"Do you know who your father is, little one?" I asked Eve.

She blinked. "Uh…"

Irka took a step forward. "You're already at it, I see. Come along, children, and don't let her bother you. She lives to annoy Shanti and Luminara."

"So they're telling you Luminara is related to you, hmm?" I said. Eve's eyes went wide.

"She's our other mother! Of course she's related to us!" Fay said. She sounded like Shanti. Force dammit. One was enough.

"Well, here's something for you to chew on: She isn't." I swept past them, but then stopped and smiled at Irka. "Boba is back. And since you weren't at the meeting to hear it, I'll tell you in person. I'm pregnant with his child." I could sense she still loved him, even after all those years. The look on her face was priceless. I didn't wait for a response, just spun on my heel and continued to my quarters.

"Your meanness factor hasn't decreased at all," a voice said as I reached for the door handle.

"Nice to see you too, Olee," I said. My friend leaned against the wall a few feet from the door. She looked older, but not old. She was still pretty.

"Why do you insist on aggravating everyone, every chance you get?" She asked.

"It's fun."

"You're strange." She pushed away from the wall. "But it's good to have you back."


	2. Chap 2 Eve

"Master Ti?" A soft voice asked. I turned to meet Eve's smooth yellow eyes. She was troubled.

"That new Jedi…Master Swan…said something to me…" I closed my eyes. She had been back for less than an hour and she was already making things harder for Shanti and Luminara. Force, she was difficult.

"What did she say, Eve?"

"She said that we aren't related to Luminara. Our other parent is someone else."

I bit my tongue to keep in the flood of curse words that threatened to spill out. Of course, she couldn't wait for us to tell them. She couldn't wait until the triplets were mature enough to understand. She had to tell poor little Eve now. I was glad she had come to me, and not one of her parents. Shanti would have been angry and Luminara might have tracked down and murdered Bultar.

"It's true," I said after a moment of thinking. One way or another, she knew, and I did not want to lie to her or hide the truth anymore.

"So…who is our dad?" She asked. I slid off my chair and bent down to her level.

"I want to tell you this first: No matter who your parents are, you are your own person. Just because someone is your father, does not mean you have to be like him." She laced her fingers together.

"So who is he?"

"First, I want you to go and get your brother and sister. They should hear this too." Eve shook her head.

"But Master Swan told just me! I want to know!"

"No. Go find your brother and sister, and your mother as well."

Eve sighed. "Yes, Master Ti. Luminara too?"

"Sure."


	3. Chap 3 Fay

I was getting a feeling. And if Master Tann had taught me anything, it was to trust your instincts. I knew she was young, but I couldn't have a better master. She was sympathetic and supportive, and didn't mind when I went to other masters for advice.

So I would do everything I could to follow her teachings. Even when my feelings took me far from the village that was my home, and out into the forest that lay to the west.

I landed neatly on a branch and looked to the sky. Evening was close to falling. I would need to get back soon. I didn't like the thought of leaving Eve alone with that new master in the village. I know it's bad to disrespect masters, but something about her just felt…off.

I jumped to another branch, catching it and swinging around it once. I still hadn't figured out why I felt I needed to come out here. I sighed.

"I'm not going to find the answer in the dark," I said aloud. I turned around and jumped off the branch. I was starting to feel uneasy. I needed to do something in the forest, but I was getting an eerie feeling. Like…someone was watching me. I felt my lightsaber, reassuring at my belt.

My life had not been peaceful, but from the stories my parents and the other Jedi had told me, I had it easy. A few bounty hunters who wanted to kill off the Jedi still existed. We were far from the empire, but my mother was still very suspicious of anyone who came to Teth.

I knew that Master Swan and Boba Fett had been looking for a new home for us. A new home for the Jedi. Mom had always told me that we were the last of the Jedi, and we had to stick together and support each other no matter what. Clearly Master Swan didn't agree. Master Irka did say that Master Swan lived to annoy Mom and Luminara…I'd have to ask Mom about it when I got back.

I reached the gates of the village. It was very large and surrounded by a wall I knew my elders had built by hand. The east side belonged to the Jedi, the north to the Maixans, west to the Mandalorians, and the south to everyone else.

One the other side of the gate was my friend Naria, a Maixan who was the same age as me. She couldn't feel the force and I felt sorry for her.

"How was your walk?" Naria asked as she let me in.

"Not what I wanted," I mumbled.

Naria shrugged. "Maybe just a bad veggie at dinner."

"I don't know…I'm going to ask my mom."

"Or you could ask Master Ti. She's so smart."

"She is. But my Mom is my Mom. She's smarter than Master Ti." Naria's eyebrows lifted.

"But Master Ti trained your mother! Of course that makes Master Ti smarter."

"Apprentices can surpass their masters," I responded. Or at least, Luminara had told me they did. She said that her first apprentice, somebody named Bariss Offee, had eventually surpassed her and her training was passed on to another master. I couldn't imagine anyone stronger than Luminara and my mom, except maybe Master Saa. Mom says that Master Fay was a lot stronger than her too. But my mom was also trained by Master Fay, and she named me after her, so my mom was really strong.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then, Fay," Naria said.

"See you tomorrow, Naria." I went inside the temple. No one was around. I could sense many presences in the meeting room. I took off at a run, hoping I hadn't missed anything important.

I opened the door and slipped in quietly. Master Saa was at the front of the room saying something.

Master Swan, Fett, and the two others who had come to teth with them were with her. Master Swan had a small, smug smile on her face. I suddenly felt on guard.

Mom had saved a chair for me between Eve and Luminara. Eve glared at me.

"What?" I whispered.

"I was going to find out who our real other parent was, but Master Ti wouldn't tell me until you showed up, and then you had to go and vanish."

"Hush, Eve," Luminara said. "Master Saa is speaking."

Eve glared back at her defiantly and opened her mouth, but was cut off by our second mother.

"And don't think for one moment that this changes anything. I have raised you, not him. He is dead." If looks could burn, my sister would be slightly crispy.

Mom put her hand on Luminara's arm. I felt something pass between through the force, but I couldn't tell what. They had always had a bond that even Master Ti said she couldn't understand.

"..and know that the spirits of our Jedi ancestors thank you as well," Master Saa finished. Everyone stood and clapped. I didn't want to, but Mom glared at me and I raised my hands.

"I suppose you should know the truth, though I would have rather waited until you were older," Mom said. She shot one angry look at Master Swan.

"You don't like her either, do you, Mom?" I asked, tugging her sleeve.

"Hush your voice." Mom put her hand on my shoulder.

"Alright, I am here," Master Ti said as she glided over to us.

"Thank you for helping us, Shaak," Luminara said. Master Ti smiled.

"You know that I would help you with anything you asked of me, Luminara."

"I don't…I don't know how to put this into words that they will understand," mom said.

"Who our real other parent is?" Jiam asked. Mom nodded.

"I will tell them. I admit it may have been wiser to wait until they were older, but that cannot be helped now." Master Ti's black eyes narrowed just a bit. I noticed that the meeting room was empty now. We were completely alone.

"Why does everyone think we're too young to know the truth?" Eve demanded.

"I don't think it really matters who he is," Jiam said. "Luminara was always there for us, and he wasn't. I don't care about him. Besides, he's dead. We never met him. We never will."

"Thank the force for that," Luminara muttered.

"So he was a bad man!" Eve exclaimed.

"You…you could say that," Mom said quietly. "You know what the Sith are, right?"

We nodded, bobbing our heads up and down.

The door burst open and Leia barged in, her lightsaber drawn. "Master Shanti! Master Ti!"

"What is it, Leia?" Master Ti asked. Leia slammed the doors.

"We're under attack. Four ships. We don't know where they came from. Tann and Master Starstone are engaging them."

"The explanation will have to wait," Mom said. She flung open the door, her double bladed lightsaber jumping into her hand. Luminara followed her. I grabbed my lightsaber and ran down after them, Master Ti right behind me.

"I wonder what kind of bounty hunters it is this time," I asked Leia as we ran down the hall.

"I don't know," she answered. "We can only wait to find out."


	4. Chap 4 SS

I was feeling a disturbance in the force.

A ship had landed. At first they had just shot at us from the air, but then the bounty hunters suddenly opted to land and meet us face-to-face instead. But I could sense that this was no ordinary bounty hunter. I felt darkness.

Master Saa was inside protecting the infirmary, thanks to a group of paranoid Maixans. I stood at Shaak's left, while Luminara stood on her right. Bultar, Starstone, and Master Ha were somewhere off behind us. The rest of the Jedi aside from Master Choi, Master Saa, Tann, and Ahsoka were behind us to the right. My children were there, alongside Zett. He would protect them if things went wrong.

The door opened. I met a pleasant face with blue eyes and blond hair. He was dressed all in black, mostly leather. He was trying and failing to conceal the aura of darkness that radiated off him in waves. My hand rested on my lightsaber.

"Master Shaak Ti. Master Luminara Unduli. Master Shanti Stefan. Your reputations precede you. It took me much longer to find you than I thought it would."

Shaak took a step forward. She sensed the darkness too. "State your business, Sith." Her hand was on her lightsaber.

He raised his hands. "I don't want to hurt you. I am in search of my apprentice. She seems to be here somewhere."

My jaw dropped. His mouth curved into a smile. Then I sensed movement behind me and spun to parry a blow from a green lightsaber.

"What are you doing, Bultar?" I demanded. She smirked and passed her free hand over her face. The brown in her eyes drained away. I jumped away from her.

"What have you done?" Luminara demanded, coming to stand by my side.

"She has seen the light, or rather, the dark," the Sith from behind me said. I heard a lightsaber, and then a clash. He had engaged Shaak. And then a large, dark stain flowed from the open ship behind him.

"Defels," Kina Ha spat.

"We have to stop the Wraiths from reaching the village!" Zett said. He beheaded one of the living shadows that had jumped at Eve.

Bultar swung at my head again. I ducked.

"Why betray us?" Luminara asked, backing up.

"Why not?" She answered. "I lied. We didn't meet pirates in space. We met him." She pointed with her lightsaber at the Sith, who was locked in a fast and deadly duel with Shaak.

"And he killed Wone and the others?"

"No." She smiled. "I did." Her muscles coiled and she leapt at me, but Luminara batted her to the side with a push from the force.

"Move over, diamond face," the black haired woman snarled. "I couldn't care less about you, but I want her dead." I straightened.

"And what have I ever done to offend you so, Bultar?" I asked. I was genuinely curious.

"You were always the perfect one. You could survive anything. Any kriffing thing. The strongest member of the council save Yoda and Windu picked you. You were the legendary Master Fay's 'chosen one'. You were such a martyr." Her lips curled. "Oh, look, little Shanti was raped again, poor little thing. Oh look, little Shanti saved half the Jedi order and is a hero, yet she just so happened to be absent for most of the clone wars. You're a coward."

Luminara stepped between me and Bultar. "And you expect me to just step aside while you murder my wife?"

Bultar laughed. "No, I expect you to go running and help your friends, who are losing ground against the Defels as we speak."

I looked around. It was true.

"Luminara," I whispered. "Go and help them. I've fought opponents far more powerful than her."

"Are you certain?" My wife responded.

"Of course. Go help the others. I love you."

"Alright. I love you too."

"Aw, how cute," Bultar snarled. Luminara slipped off.

"It's you and me, Bultar. It isn't too late to turn around."

"Oh, yes. Turn around like you did? Perfect little Shanti, who always got back up, and could do everything right." She lunged at my chest. I ignited the other end of my lightsaber and blocked, pushing her backwards with the force. She spun to gain momentum and I ducked, kicking her feet out from under her and swiping at her ankles.

She jumped and I wished I could split my weapons. Unfortunately this one was a single hilt. I sheathed one side of my blade and shifted into Ataru. If I wanted to beat her, and hopefully knock some sense into her, I'd need to focus.

She swept low to the ground and I jumped, tumbling away.

"I killed Wone. Aren't you angry?"

I ignored her. "What about Boba, and Lieia, and Maki? Did they join you?"

She grinned. "Little Boba is scared to death of me. I have such a tight grip on his mind and he is all mine. You will never get him back. As for those other two, I crushed them. They are walking empty shells, Shanti. He taught me how. He'll let me become his apprentice if I kill you. It's my final test."

"I'm honored," I said, trying to keep my distance from her. Swan was a close range fighter. She was every bit as good without her saber as she was without it. If it came to hand-to-hand combat, she had the edge of far more professional training. Most of my unarmed combat training came from the voice in my head. But in lightsaber combat, I was better. I'd sparred with her before, albeit, ten years ago, and I knew her style. If I could keep my distance and swoop in for a strike every now and then, I could subdue her.

"You think to highly of yourself," she said. She tried to get close to me again. I jumped, clearing her lightsaber and grabbed her by the shoulders, throwing her flat on her back while I landed on my feet. She took the hit remarkably well.

"Where did the old Bultar go? The one who was snippy and didn't like me, but still was a diplomat? Where did Master Koon's Padawan go?" I asked, trying to ignite a pleasant memory of her old master.

"She woke up," Bultar snarled. She jumped at me again, and this time I was having a hard time getting away. She just kept coming closer and closer, faster and faster…suddenly I was backed up against a wall. I kicked at her stomach and she blocked my foot with her shoulder, bending down. I could have beheaded her, but she knew I wouldn't. She fell on me with double the ferocity. I started missing blocks. Since when was she so fast? I was stupid to let myself get trapped against a wall.

"You'll die this time," she promised. Our lightsabers locked. I had burns on both shoulders and a large bruise on my hip from where she kicked me. I started feeling a little desperate. Could I really lose to Bultar Swan?

_'No, if you start fighting her seriously,' _Master Fay sad. My heart clenched as the ancient Jedi who lived within my mind thrust an image before my eyes. I had only one choice.

_I'm sorry, Bultar._

I ignited the other end of my saber and twirled my hand, severing both her hands at the wrist. Her lightsaber fell to the ground and she screamed. I put my blue blade at her neck.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Bultar," I said, and meant it. I had killed a lot of people, and injured even more, but never a friend. I felt sick, but I forced it down.

_No emotion, just peace…_

"Shanti! Look out!" Shaak's voice warned. Red flashed above me and a crimson blade slashed my shoulder. Shaak yanked me away from the Sith, come to defend his apprentice, with the force. My shoulder was dripping blood already. It hurt a lot. But I've endured worse, just like Bultar had said.

"Who are you?" My old master asked as the Sith scooped up Bultar. Shaak held me close, as if she was afraid I'd go charging off if she let go. I probably would.

"I'm surprised your lover didn't tell you all about me," he answered. "Old Kenobi taught me a lot, that's for sure. Where is he? I'd like to see him."

"That does not answer my question, Sith," Shaak said. She was pressing a wad of cloth torn from her robe against my shoulder. Damn, it hurt. I hadn't been badly injured like that in a long time.

"I was known as Luke Skywalker, the son of Darth Vader. Now I go by Darth Sinoccus."

"You were supposed to be the chosen one's son!" I gasped. My head was reeling, still not caught up with reality.

"And I am. I am following in his footsteps, succeeding where he failed. He fell at your hands because he was weak and did not know when he was in over his head." Sinoccus smirked. "I am not as strong as he was, but I am much smarter."

Bultar's stumps were starting to bleed. She whimpered. Sinoccus used the force to shove her up into the ship.

"Until next time, my good Jedi friends." He whistled. A single Wraith came running out of the shadows, clutching something in its claws. It slid into the ship and Sinoccus followed. Shaak didn't move, or release me.

"We have to catch him!" I gasped. Shaak shook her head firmly.

"You are wounded. We have to get this treated and round up the remaining Defel. Remember, we are still in hiding, my dear. We still have yet to find our permanent home, and the Sith know where we are. We cannot say for certain whether Bultar was telling the truth when she said she did indeed find Xiam." I sighed and relaxed. Damn, my shoulder hurt. Shaak yanked my robe off my shoulder and carefully inspected the wound.

"I am going to wrap it. It is a ways back to the village and I do not want it bleeding anymore." I lifted my arm obediently, letting my robe drop to the ground. The Togruta wrapped the bandage around the wound; going down to my hip and wrapping it diagonally round my whole upper body. I flinched as she tightened it around the cut.

"Mom! Mom!" Eve ran up to me. Her face was streaked with mud and tears. She saw the blood on me and froze. I smiled.

"It's alright sweetie, they're gone now. I'm fine." I stopped a grimace from surfacing as Shaak gave the bandage one final yank and then stepped back. I winced as she pulled the left half of my robe back up, letting the right side dangle.

My daughter ran up and wrapped her arms around my waist. She was sobbing.

"What's wrong, Eve?" I asked. My voice was getting steadier.

"The shadow monster…"

"The wraith took Fay," Zett said. I raised my gaze to meet my former apprentices.

"What?"

He looked at the ground, tears beading in his eyes. "You heard me. I wasn't strong enough to protect all three of them…"

Luminara staggered up. Most of the other Jedi were behind her. Someone had notified Irka, because she suddenly appeared, sweaty and out of breath. My wife had a long gash on her upper arm that slowly oozed blood. "It is true…the Wraith that jumped onto the ship was cloaking Fay's presence."

"We have to follow them," Shaak said. "Any Jedi who is able, get to the starfighters. I will lead them. Irka, tend to Shanti and Luminara. They are both hurt." Shaak took off running. I sat down, my head feeling light. I must have been dreaming.

Irka removed Shaak's bandages and cleaned the wound, but I was feeling dizzy and wasn't all there. I knew Luminara was holding my hand, and Irka was warding off Jiam, who kept trying to climb into my lap. Eventually he gave up and settled into Luminara's lap. Eve was clinging to me from the other side. We all sat there in the dust as Irka treated my wound and then moved on to my wife.

We walked back home slowly, and I went straight to bed. I cried.


	5. Chap 5 Fay

I watched from behind the thick steel bars as a medical droid worked with Sinoccus to give Master Swan a pair of artificial hands. There was a lot of blood and screaming involved. I eventually turned around and covered my ears. The cell was tiny. It was a little more than half as tall as I was and not long enough for me to lay down. I had to crouch. It was more like a cubby hole in the wall than a cell.

"Too much for you?" A voice asked. I turned around, meeting the eyes of a little boy who looked about my age. He had blue skin and short, feathery hair. Obviously he wasn't human.

"Who are you?" I asked. He was on the other side of the bars, so he had to be on their side.

"My name's Coel Trebor. And you?"

"Fay Unduli," I answered. "I would watch out if I were you. My moms are going to come and you'll be sorry for taking me away."

"You don't understand. Even though I'm not in the cell with you, I'm a prisoner here too. My mom was a scientist in the empire, and my dad was a renegade Jedi." He looked down at the ground. "My mom tried to keep me safe, but when I was eight, he found me." He pointed at Sinoccus, who was ignoring us. "He wants to train me in the dark side."

"And you're going to let him?" I demanded. Was this boy really that stupid?

"What other choice do I have? And seeing that you're here and not dead, he probably has the same plans for you." I shuddered and slid away from him.

"Mom and Luminara and Master Ti will come save me. And then they'll make you see it's better to die than become a Sith."

He shook his head. "You'll find out soon enough." Gingerly I reached out with the force. He was scared, but mostly for me. Why did he care? He was a Sith. They were evil and wanted to kill all Jedi. He reached through the bars and touched my shoulder. I jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me," I growled.

"I just want to help you," he said. "If you would just trust me-"

"I will never let you make me into a Sith," I said.

"Is that so?" A new voice said. Sinoccus bent down, shoving Coel backwards with one hand. His eyes were pale yellow. "Did you know that your mother once fell to the dark side, little one?"

My face went pale. "She did?"

He nodded, his expression solemn. "Luminara brought her back to the light, but your mother was very dark for a time. If it wasn't for your meddling namesake, your mother never would have made it through her Jedi training. Master Fay anchored her spirit to the blue circle on Shanti's forehead when your mother was eleven years old, and has kept your mother stable and alive ever since."

I had asked several times about mom's blue circle…she had tried to explain it, but I had never understood what she meant until now. I started to ask another question, and then I remembered who I was talking to. I scuttled to the back of the cell, far away from him.

"Stay away from me! Luminara and Mom are coming to save me!"

"Yes. Yes they are. And that is why I took you in the first place. Shanti has fallen far from the Jedi she once was. She lets her emotions blind her. She loves you and your siblings too much." He raised his left hand. It had a black glove on it. He took off the glove and revealed a mechanical hand.

"Do you know who did this to me, little one?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Your real father. I assume you want to know the truth about him?" I nodded slowly. I noticed that Coel had moved around Sinoccus and sat at the crouching Sith lord's left.

"Yes," I said. Sinoccus beckoned for me to come closer. I slid slowly across the dusty metal ground.

Sinoccus reached into his robe's pocket and took out a small sheaf of pictures. He handed them to me through the bars. The first picture was a young boy who looked about eight years old, and two older humans who I think were his parents. The second showed the same boy in his teenage years. He was standing by a waterfall smiling. He had light blonde hair and big blue eyes, just like mine.

"Is this my father?" I asked.

"Yes," Sinoccus said with a nod. "Keep looking.

I put the waterfall picture aside and looked at the next one. It was a picture of a newspaper article that was talking about the election of the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Mom had told me about the republic and the Chancellors that had led it. She didn't tell me my father was one of them. The next picture was of him in office, with two unfamiliar aliens next to him.

The last picture startled me. His eyes had gone from blue to yellow and his hair from blonde to white. He looked shockingly like Eve in that picture, but he also looked…evil.

"Why is this one different?" I asked, showing Sinoccus the picture. He smiled faintly.

"Ah, your father was a Sith lord. His name was Darth Sidious."

I dropped the picture and scooted away from it, but I couldn't get very far. When Mom had brought up the Sith when she was about to tell us who our father was, I assumed he was a Jedi who had been killed by a Sith. Not a Sith himself.

"Did mom and he…did they have us when my mom was a Sith?" I asked, my voice trembling. Sinoccus shook his head.

"No. Your mother was only twenty-four years old when she had you. She is a Jedi. Did you know when your mother was a part of the Old Jedi order, the Jedi were forbidden to marry or have children?"

"Yes, I knew that," I said. It had been a big part of the stories Master Ti and Master Choi told us about the republic. "Mom and Luminara got married after they made the New Jedi Order and it wasn't forbidden anymore." I felt proud I knew so much.

"Your parents have told you a lot about the old Jedi order and the Republic. But did you know this: Your mother never wanted children."

My heart skipped a beat. "Then why did she have us?"

"Your father wanted children. He forced her."

Several thoughts flew through my mind at once. Who was strong enough to force my mother to do anything? Why didn't Luminara and Master Ti protect her? And why was she so nice to us, if she didn't want us? And why did my father force Mom to do something didn't want to do…?

"Did…Did my Mom love my father?"

Sinoccus laughed. I was asking a serious question about my parents, and he _laughed._

"What's so funny?" I demanded. "It's an important question!"

"Your mother hated your father with a passion," he said, still chuckling. "She was the one who killed him."

"My mother killed my father?" I gulped. That was…horrible. Naria's mother and father loved each other, and so did her friend's mother and father…

With a creak, the bars that kept me in the cubby hole swung away. I stepped out of the cell, realizing that my lightsaber was gone. Sinoccus put his glove back on, covering the spidery mechanical hand.

I didn't know what to say. They weren't going to let me go and there was no way I could escape.

"Coel, show Fay to her room. I will expect you not to cause any trouble until your mother comes for you, little one," he said. Coel put one hand on my back and started pushing me down a hallway.

"What species are you?" I asked when we were out of earshot of Sinoccus.

"Omwati," he said.

"I can give you some food if you help me escape," I said. I had a couple sweet dried berries left from last year's harvest festival. Maybe he would like those.

"You can't bribe me into letting you go. I'm sorry. He would kill me."

"But we can go together!" I protested. "My mom would take care of you. She takes care of Leia, even though she isn't related to us! And even if she didn't, there are tons of people in my village who would!"

He shook his head again. "It's impossible. Besides, we are in hyperspace right now. We couldn't leave the ship."

Luminara had told me about hyperspace, but I had never seen it or been in before. Part of me wanted to demand to look out a window, but again I remembered where I was. I was a prisoner, and they might kill me. The sudden realization was almost too much.

Coel showed me a room. Inside there was a bed and no windows. I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands. Suddenly I was terrified.

"What's wrong?" Coel asked, running into the room and sitting beside me.

"I miss my parents," I whispered. I was crying, but I hid it in my hands.

"They're coming," the Omwati said. "Really. I can sense them."

"But your master wants to kill her!"

"Don't you have faith in your mother?"

"And she lied to me! She never told me who my father was, and that Luminara wasn't actually my other mom!" I felt like everything I had ever known was collapsing in on itself and crumbling into a small ball. Coel put his hand around my shoulders, and I didn't feel like pushing him away. Something in me was crying for attention, from anyone. So I let him.


	6. Chap 6 Eve

"Our real father…was a sith lord?" I repeated slowly. Mom nodded. Her eyes were on the ground.

"And he wanted to use us as his Sith apprentices?" Jiam asked. This time Luminara nodded.

I had never imagined, not in a million years, that someone could do something like that to my mother. She was so strong, and so confident, and if she ever failed, Luminara would protect her…I took a step forward and gave my mom a hug. She was surprised. I think she expected me to be angry. Jiam was hugging Luminara. He had tears in his eyes.

"You're so brave, mom," I whispered. She hugged me back.

"I will never regret bringing you three into this world. Ever. And whether you like it or not, Luminara is your other parent. Or other mother, or father, or however you want to put it." I looked at Luminara.

"I like it. Luminara is amazing."

"Was it scary when you brought Mom back from the dark side?" Jiam asked. Luminara's eyes closed.

"Yes," she said. "It was very scary."

"Would you like to see a picture of your father?" Master Ti asked. I nodded. The Master of the Order pulled out a holoprojector and handed it to me. Jiam released Luminara to stand next to me. I was painfully aware of Fay's absence.

I flicked on the holoprojector. Mom looked away and Luminara grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. I didn't know my father, and I was glad I didn't. He did bad things to my mother, who was the best person ever. And he looked kind of scary.

He also looked familiar. He had white hair and yellow eyes, just like me. Fay looked like Mom and Jiam looked like Luminara. And I looked like him.

"He looks like Eve," Jiam said, reading my mind. I turned off the holoprojector. Mom was sitting in her seat at the council's circle. Luminara had pushed her chair next to hers and they were still holding hands.

"Yes. Yes, he does," Mom whispered. I sat down on Luminara's foot, looking up at my mother.

"But that does not mean you have to be like him, just because you look like him," Master Ti said. She sat down in her seat beside Master Saa's. "I told you that before…before the mess happened."

Three Jedi had gone to save my siser. Master Saa was leading them. We weren't allowed to go because Mom was hurt and she didn't want me and Jiam to worry about Fay. I didn't get it. We would worry about Fay whether we were here or there, but if we were there we could at least do something. Zett said we needed to take care of Mom. He made me promise to look after her no matter what. I told him that Luminara already did that, so he told me to look after Luminara instead. That was why I was sitting on her feet instead of Moms.

"You're right Master Ti," I said.

"Isn't she always?" Mom said. Master Ti chuckled.

"I am proud of you two, and I am proud of your sister as well."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Luminara said. Irka stepped in.

"Shanti, Boba's awake. He's…" she hesitated. I remembered faintly that just after Bultar had ran away with my sister, Boba had passed out. "He isn't doing well." Mom jumped to her feet. She had told me the story of how Boba had saved her from Jabba's palace, and she cared about him deeply.

"Take me to see him," she said.

Irka led us down to the infirmary part of the temple. When we reached the door, the healer frowned.

"I think the children should stay out here," she said after a moment of hesitation. I sighed.

"I can stay here with them," Luminara said.

"That sounds fine with me," Master Ti said. "Shanti and I will go and see him."

I sighed and flopped down on the floor by the door. Luminara ruffled my hair.

"There are some things even I do not wish to see," she said quietly.


	7. Chap 7 BF

_ Darkness. Then light. Then darkness. Then light. Then dark. It was like someone was clicking a lamp that was right in front of my face on and off. Light. Then dark. Then light. Then green._

_ Green?_

"Boba! You have to breath!" Someone was yelling at me. My lungs were burning. Where are they? I know that they burn, but where are they? I need to know so I can make them stop burning.

"He wasn't like this before I went to get you," another voice said. It was female and sounding slightly worried.

"He isn't panicking," a third female voice was saying. "He is completely calm." A hand suddenly pried my mouth open. So that's where it was.

"Force dammit Fett, breath!" Was that…Shaak Ti? Where was she? I reached around blindly, trying to find her. Suddenly light flooded my vision, and revealed a pair of shiny onyx eyes gleaming faintly with panic.

"Hi," I said to the eyes. "I'm looking for Jedi Master Shaak Ti. Have you seen her anywhere?" I noticed that there were hands on both sides of my face. My armor was gone. I was wearing a white hospital gown.

"I am right here," the owner of the eyes said. Then someone pushed those eyes aside and a pair of brilliant green ones replaced them.

"Boba?" the eyes asked. I reached up and poked the nose that belonged to the eyes. She was lucky. At least she knew where her nose was. I didn't.

"You look an awful lot like this one Jedi I know. Her name's Shanti…" The eyes lit up with faint amusement tempered by concern.

"Probably because I am Shanti, silly. You don't recognize me?" I tried to look at the rest of her face. Did I mention she looked like Shanti?

"He is…damaged," the lady who sounded like Shaak Ti said. "Swan did something to him."

At the name, suddenly something in me recoiled. The next thing I knew I was on my knees, throwing up my guts, and Shanti was rubbing my back, and Shaak Ti was frowning, and Irka was looking distraught.

"It's alright, Boba," the brown haired Jedi whispered. "She can't hurt you anymore."

Irka gave me something. It was clear and when I tilted it sideways, something shiny and clear fell out and got Shanti all wet.

"He is definitely damaged," Shanti agreed, looking at her soaking wet front. Irka handed another clear thing to Shanti. She held it up to my face.

"You open your mouth," Shaak Ti said. I opened my mouth. Shanti tipped the wet stuff in the clear thing into my mouth.

"Now you close your mouth and swallow," Irka said. I did my best.

"I can do that if you would like, Shanti," Irka said. I noticed that Shanti's hair was wet now.

"No, I'm already soaked. I can change later." She poured more of the wet stuff into my mouth. It made me feel better. It helped me not think about her.

"What can you remember, Boba?" Shaak Ti asked. "Do you know who I am?"

I bobbed my head. "You're Jedi Master Shaak Ti."

She nodded and smiled. "Do you know who that is?" She pointed to Shanti.

"Yeah. That's Shanti. And that's Irka." I pointed to the blond doctor. I was glad I knew where my hand was, or else I couldn't point. "Can you tell me where my feet are? I've found everything but them." Shaak Ti frowned.

"They are attached to your ankles, like they always are."

"Uh…where are my ankles?"

"Down here," Irka said. I jumped when I felt something weird. I looked down. I found my feet _and _my ankles at the same time! She was poking my ankle.

"Do you remember who you are?" The Togruta said.

"Uh huh. I'm Boba Fett."

"Your father?"

"Jango Fett."

"Your mother?"

"I don't have a mother."

"Very good. Can you recite the Mandalorian alphabet?"

I did, and I only messed up once. Then she asked me to count backwards from ten and tell her how many fingers she was holding up. Since she knew where her hands were, I would think she could figure it out for herself. But she was so persistent, I eventually had to tell her.

"At least he has not gone brain dead," Master Ti said. "Your turn, Shanti." The Jedi in question was drying her hair with a white towel.

"Alright." She sat down in front of me, replacing Master Ti. "Boba, these questions might be a little harder. What do remember about Bultar Swan?"

Again I felt like my insides were doing gymnastics when I heard her say that.

"Please don't say that name," I said, clutching my stomach.

"I understand. But we need to know. What do you remember? What images do you see when you think of her?"

I closed my eyes. "She has black hair that is as long as her chin. Her eyes are brown-no, yellow-no, brown-I don't know what color her eyes are."

"That's alright," Shanti said. "What else?"

"Her nails are sharp…and she punches really hard…and that's all I remember…" I said.

"Is it true that you are the father of her child?" Was the next question.

"Uh, I don't remember…anything like that happening," I said. I didn't. Oh kriff, I hope I didn't.

"Alright. You did very, very well, Boba. Are you hungry?"

Now that was a question I knew all the answers too. "Yes."

"I'll ask Luminara to grab him something. Something light and easy on the stomach. Maybe Ruga berries and yams…" Irka trailed off. My stomach was hurting. I couldn't tell why. But at least I knew where it was.

"Do you forget where your hands are sometimes, Shanti?" I asked. Her eyebrows raised a little.

"Not very often. Do you?"

"Yeah, I couldn't remember where they were. Do you ever do that?"

"Yes, I forget the location of my limbs all the time. Do you know where they are now?"

"Yes!" I said, and held my hands up proudly. "They're right here!"

"Very good. Where are your feet?" I pointed. She smiled.

"Here's a harder one. Where are my feet?" I frowned.

"Down there!" I pointed to her feet. "You would think a Jedi could keep track of her own feet." I couldn't help but laugh. She smiled faintly.

"Well, we can't be perfect all the time."


	8. Chap 8 LU

I pushed open the door with one hand, using the other to levitate the tray of food with the force. Boba Fett was sitting on the exam table and looked at me with wide eyes. Eve and Jiam followed me into the room slowly.

"I brought the yams and Ruga berries, Irka," I said. The doctor took the tray from me with the force and dropped it in Fett's lap.

"Thanks, Luminara. Do you remember how to eat, Boba?"

"Yes," he said, a proud expression on his face.

Shanti was sitting on a white chair, drying her hair off with a towel.

"What happened? Why are you all wet?" Eve asked.

"He seems to have forgotten what water is," Shanti answered. "And that if you tip the glass sideways, it comes out and soaks the person sitting next to you."

The children laughed. I sat down in the chair next to her.

"Is he…alright?" I asked, I could not think of another adequate adjective. I hushed my voice to a whisper.

"He's…he's seen better days, but considering what I think happened to him, he could be a lot worse off." She removed the towel from her head and smoothed down her hair.

"What do you think happened to him?" I questioned.

"My guess is that Swan infiltrated his mind and made him dependent on her. He was acting normal while they were together because she was physically close to him and kept him stable. But when Swan left the planet, she took most of his reasoning skills and a large amount of his independence with her."

"When Shanti…eh…I cannot remember the official term…erm, be-handed Swan, he reacted badly as well," Shaak put in. "I was with him and we both saw it. I think that was when he first began forgetting where his limbs were located."

"Be-handed," Shanti murmured. "Nice term for it. But I think it's actually called Cho Mai."

"That's it! Thank you, Shanti," Shaak said.

"What do you mean by 'made him dependent on her'?" I asked. Specifics are always good to have.

"It's kind of like mind control on a much more…intense, intimate scale," Irka said, joining our quiet conversation. Across the room, Fett was examining a piece of yam like he had never seen the vegetable before.

"Can he be healed?" I asked.

"Yes," Shanti said with a nod. "But it will take time and patience. In some ways, some places, he is the same Boba Fett from ten years ago. But in others he is like a very young child. It's a strange combination and a recipe for disaster if we do things wrong."

"Well, as they say, where there is a will, there is a way," I put in. Shanti smiled.

"I think we could all use some optimism right now. Good timing."

"I live to please."


	9. Chap 9 ZJ

I jumped off the cruiser before it landed. My lightsaber was in my hand and my feet were moving. I had to find Fay, before the Sith killed her, or worse…

"Wait for us, Zett!" Master Saa called. I slowed, but did not stop. I sensed Fay. The Sith's ship was becoming visible.

I didn't even know what planet I was on. I just knew that it was a cold planet, that it had little vegetation, and Fay was here somewhere. Master Shanti would swat me.

The ship was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was a strange combination of a shrunken separatist cruiser and a gunship. I sliced a door and let Master Saa and Master Secura go in first. Olee and Master Ha ended up behind me.

"Why isn't Shanti and Luminara here?" A voice said from the roof. Bultar dropped from where she had been clinging like a spider.

"Shanti is wounded, and we left Luminara and Shaak to take care of her and the children," Master Saa said patiently. Bultar's lightsaber hissed as she extended it.

"Fine. You will have to do, then." She jumped and Master Saa ducked under her swipe. I pushed Master Saa away, trying to maintain a distance between the ancient Neti and the deadly blue beam. I jumped and spun, trying to gain momentum. I didn't want to kill her, and I was pretty sure she was too strong for me anyway. But I had no desire to die at her hands either, so I would fight seriously. Master Saa settled into a meditation pose. I felt just a little more energy trickle into my body.

"I'll take her from the right!" Master Secura said. I didn't think Swan could keep up with the both of us. She went on the defensive, parrying my stroke at her head with a diagonal block and rolling backwards when Master Secura kicked her. Where was Master Ha?

Then I felt another dark presence. Sinoccus had arrived.

"Zatt…Jikussa, correct?" he asked, looking at me with those painfully clear eyes.

"Actually, it's Zett Jukassa," I corrected him. Bultar was standing back up, looking a little tired, but not as much as I would have liked. Master Secura engaged Sinoccus, their duel fast paced and involving a lot of spinning. I had never seen a battle with that much spinning, ever. But it was so fast, I guess they needed to keep up the momentum.

"I would keep your eyes on your own opponent, or else something bad might happen," Bultar said. I spun around, tearing my eyes from Master Secura and Sinoccus' deadly dance. She stood between me and Master Saa.

"I wouldn't dream of taking my eyes anywhere else," I responded. She snorted.

"Don't you already have a girl?"

"Yup." I started walking around her in a circle, prepared for anything. I felt that it was important to get between Swan and Master Saa.

"He battle meditation sure is something. It's making things difficult. With that behind her, Secura might actually beat my master."

"He let you be his apprentice, even though Master Shanti defeated you?" I sneered. "You failed your 'final test', Bultar. Nice new hands, by the way."

"Dun Möch," the black haired woman said. "How very un-Jedi like of you."

"I wasn't attempting Dun Möch," I responded. "I was stating the facts. I failed the first time I took the knight trials and Master Shanti didn't let me become a knight just because I tried as hard as I could. She let me become a knight when I passed."

Bultar's smirk fell off her face. Ha!

"You will regret saying that," she said. Suddenly she jumped, but not at me. She was jumping away from me. Towards Master Saa. Where in the name of the force had Master Ha gone?

I moved as fast as I could, but I wasn't fast enough. Master Saa stopped the tip of Bultar's green beam of energy centimeters before it made contact with the skin between her shoulder blades.

"Just because my eyes are closed doesn't mean that I am asleep, young one," Master Saa said. Bultar gritted her teeth and shoved the lightsaber forward with all her strength. I rushed forward, intending to push her away from the ancient Jedi, but she snapped her knee up and kicked me in the chin without even looking away. I was dazed for a moment, and could barely see the battle of peace and anger going on before me.

Suddenly a small new presence entered my awareness and I redoubled my efforts to orient myself. I got to my feet just as Fay ran into the room, her lightsaber ignited. With her was a male Omwati who was probably the same age. He had a red lightsaber. Behind the both of them was Master Ha.

"Master Saa!" Fay yelled. Master Saa's eyes snapped open, the shock of Fay's sudden arrival breaking her focus. I lunged, but I wasn't fast enough to stop the green blade from impaling her straight through.

"MASTER SAA!" Kina Ha yelled, and she and the Omwati boy both jumped at Bultar with Fay right behind them. She flung them back with the force, letting Master Saa's body drop to the ground. I used this opportunity to attempt to stab her, but her reflexes were fast than mine. I started using Ataru in its fullest form, because I was truly angry. I had seen Master Saa get killed, right in front of me. Bultar Swan was beyond saving. She had to die.

A powerful force closed around my neck and lifted me in the air.

"A noble effort, but utterly fruitless," Swan said. I couldn't breathe. I was panicking.

She dropped me and I collapsed, trying to fill my lungs. I saw Master Ha engage Bultar, and was flung backwards. I understood why few kaminoans became Jedi. They were fragile.

My lightsaber clattered to the floor. I looked up, gasping, as she used the force to drag Fay over to her.

Suddenly I felt Master Secura's energy spike. She was losing. Sinoccus had her pinned against a wall and had been punching her in the face, until she fell to the ground, out cold. He seized his lightsaber and turned to me.

"You are the only one left," he said. "Will you surrender?"

"No," I said. I jumped at him. He didn't move, just lifted one hand and unleashed a bout of pure white lightning at Fay. She flew to the other side of the room and crashed into the wall.

I ran to her, the Omwati right behind me. She was out and not looking good. I needed to get her out of here, but I couldn't leave Master Secura and Master Ha…I turned and ran back down to the twi'lek, only to be caught myself with that horrible lightning.

"You are far too young and inexperienced to win against me," he said. "You were trained well, but training can only go so far." He unleashed more lightning. When this bout ended, my body smoking and my nerves feeling fried, I saw Master Secura's eyes open.

_Go, _I told her through the force. _Take Fay and go. She's at the end of the corridor. Take Master Ha too._

Her blue eyes blinked in painful understanding. She grabbed her lightsaber and took off down the corridor. Swan started to follow her, but I called the last of my strength and flung her backwards. Sinoccus dropped me and I fell to the ground, unable to move.

And then I blacked out.


	10. Chap 10 Eve

I was feeling sick all of a sudden.

"Mom," I said, looking at her. "My head just started hurting."

She had her eyes closed, one hand holding Luminara's and the other touching her left temple.

"Mom?" Jiam said after she didn't respond. His head was hurting, too. Was it something we ate?

"There's a disturbance in the force," Irka said.

"Something's wrong," Mom agreed. She opened her eyes.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's just that sometimes when bad things happen, we Jedi are notified by the force. Sometimes it doesn't feel good. Do you want to go lay down?"

"No, I'm alright," I said. Jiam nodded in agreement. "What's happening?"

Luminara frowned. "We do not know, Eve. That is the troubling thing."

"Go to your room, children," Master Ti said. Her face was a little pale. "We will come get you when we know what is going on." She shooed us out the door. Boba watched us go with a goofy little smile on his face.

"How come he gets to stay and we don't?" Jiam demanded.

"He won't understand a thing we say," Mom mumbled. "And he is an adult. Now out!" She pushed us out and closed the door. I started to walk dejectedly back to our room, but my brother caught my elbow. He put his finger to his mouth and pressed his ear against the door. I did the same.

"What about Aayla and Zett?" Mom was saying.

"I cannot…Zett. Aayla…have…alongside Fay and Master Ha." Master Ti's voice dropped so quiet, I missed some things she said.

"How is…possible? Master Saa would never…" Mom's voice vacillated in and out of a whisper, and like with Master Ti, I couldn't catch a few of her words.

"From what I saw, she…Battle Meditation to reinforce...She…Master Ha…a force fight…Bultar somehow, and Fay…broke her concentration." What did she mean?

"We should have…Jedi," Luminara said.

"And more would have died?" Irka responded. At last, a whole sentence!

"I don't understand," I heard mom say. "Four Jedi, especially…strength, should be able…how…" I wished they would speak up.

I heard Luminara's voice, but couldn't make out any words besides what was either 'Master Saa' or 'Master Ha'. Why did their names have to be so similar?

"You two might as well come in," Mom said. Her voice was a little shaky. I jumped. I should have known she would sense us. Master Ti opened the door and stared at us with a mix of frustration and sadness. She beckoned us back inside.

"Naughty children," Irka scolded. I looked at the floor.

"Maybe it was wrong of us to exclude them in the first place," Luminara said. "Whether we like it or not, they are a part of this family and of the Jedi. They deserve to know."

"What's happening?" Jiam asked.

"Master Saa has died," Master Ti said quietly. My heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

"But Master Saa is the master of the whole order! She can't die!" I said. Mom had tears in her eyes.

"We have seen it in the force, and it is the undeniable truth."

"What should we do?" I asked. "What about Fay and Zett?"

"It appears that Fay has escaped from the Sith, thanks to Master Ha and Aayla," Luminara said. "I cannot see Zett, but I assume he has escaped alongside them. We need to send someone to find them."

"No." Mom said. She shook her head.

"What?" Master Ti asked.

"Zett did not escape. He was captured by Sinoccus and Swan. He gave himself up so Aayla, and Master Ha, and Fay could escape."

There was a moment of complete silence.

"We could send Tann," Luminara suggested. "And Starstone."

"We should at least tell them what has happened," Irka said.

"They probably already know," Mom said. "I can sense them coming to us as we speak."

"We shall meet them on their way, then," Master Ti said. She stood and opened the door, and on the other side stood Tann, Master Starstone, Master Kenobi, and Leia.

"Master Ti! Something is-"

"We already know," Master Ti said, cutting off Master Starstone. She blinked her big orange eyes.

"Of course," She said. I noticed Leia had tears on her cheeks.

"What's wrong, Leia?" Mom asked, noticing as well. Mom was her master, so she took extra good care of Leia.

"Master Saa is dead!" Leia cried. "And Zett has been captured!"

"Zett is very strong," Mom said. "He will be-he will be fine." She swallowed her tears.

"I will go and see what I can do about a rescue attempt," Master Kenobi said. "I'll take Master Starstone and Master Choi. How does that sound?"

"And me as well," Luminara said. She stood up.

"Are you sure?" Master Ti asked. "Do you think your emotions will get in the way?"

"Yes," Luminara growled. "But they are far more in the way here."

"Alright. I will stay here with Shanti and the children. Tann is staying, as well as Ahsoka and Scout."

"That sounds good to me. We will rescue Zett and hopefully subdue the Sith."

A wave of sudden irritation jumped in me. Adults are so stupid. "Why don't you all go?" I suggested. Many heads turned to look at me.

"What do you mean, padawan?" Master Kenobi said.

"Well, if all the Jedi Masters and Knights go, then you can easily beat the Sith," I explained. "We can take care of things here."

"I agree," Master Starstone said. "We know that they are there, so they are no threat to the people here on Teth. But we should leave one or two adults to keep things under control. Maybe Irka and Ahsoka. Ahsoka is the youngest knight and with all due respect, Irka, your skills are not fighting."

Irka dipped her head, acknowledging this.

"Are you sure that Teth would not be in danger if we all were to leave?" Mom asked.

"We'll be fine, Mom," Jiam said. "Go save Zett and give Swan what she deserves."

"Yeah," I said. "This time, cut off her head."

Mom shuddered a little. "Alright, if Irka says my wound is healed enough…"

"I'd rather you didn't do anything too extraneous, but it's healing well. Just go easy on it and as much of the fighting as you can to the others. You can use battle meditation or something."

"Then let's get a move on," Master Starstone said.


	11. Chap 11 ZJ

I watched with bleary eyes as Bultar kneeled before Sinoccus. My face strung from where the Sith lord had slapped me. He slapped almost as hard as Ahsoka did, and when I told him that, he backhanded me. Then he shocked me for a little while, just a few seconds. I told him he was more merciful than his apprentice. He gave me several bruises along my left leg.

Then I decided I should probably keep my mouth shut.

So now I hung, bruised and in a lot of pain, watching some kind of Sith ritual go on.

"The death of Jedi Master T'raa Saa at your hands has proven to me that you are worthy of becoming my apprentice," he was saying. What? Wasn't she already his apprentice? She probably lied to me.

"Thank you," Swan said.

"From this moment on, you shall be known as Darth…Tenebris."

"Thank you, Master."

"You may now rise, Tenebris."

The newly dubbed Darth Tenebris stood up and smiled. She turned to me as her master left the room. I was dangling from…something. I don't even know what. My arms ached.

"Do you think anyone is coming for you, Zett?" Bultar-no, Tenebris-asked. "Do you think your girlfriend cares enough about you to worry?" She ran one hand down the side of my chest.

"Of course," I said. I considered kicking her. My feet were free.

"Don't," She said, reading my mind. "Unless you want them tied too."

I said nothing. She slipped around behind me.

"Are you going to torture me, or what?" I snapped.

"Why would I torture you?" She asked. Her hands came to rest on my shoulders.

"So you aren't going to try to turn me to the dark side, or anything?" I asked.

"Not unless you want me to," she answered. I could hear the smirk in her voice. She rested her head in between my shoulder blades. Right where she had stabbed Master Saa. That bitch.

"Get away from me," I snapped. She didn't move.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked. Her hands were cold on my shoulders, even through my tunic. I reached out with the force, and a burst of lightning entered my skin from behind.

"Bad idea, Zett."

I gasped and coughed. Her hands, nails painted black, slipped around my shoulders in an almost-hug.

"Why?" I gasped. I still didn't know the whole story. "Why did you do this? Why did you cast away Bultar for Tenebris?"

"You remember that day, twelve or so years ago, when you learned your master was not indestructible?" Why couldn't she give me a straight answer? Her hand covered my eyes, and a claw suddenly grabbed me and started pulling on my spirit. I fought, but she was older and stronger than me. I couldn't resist her strong pull.

I was no longer in the dark room aboard the sith's ship. I was in the medical room on our old Mandalorian cruiser, the one that had been our moving Jedi temple for several months. I saw myself, much younger, and Master Unduli, and Master Ti, and Irka.

Master Shanti lay on a table, screaming. Her face was slightly smoother, her hair longer. I remembered this. I remembered this all too well.

"The day you rescued Shanti from Sideous," Tenebris said. Our phantom presences stood up above the scene below. I felt her hands wrap around my waist from behind, and her soft black hair against my neck. I didn't realize I was the same height as her.

"She had so many broken bones," Tenebris breath against the back of my neck. "But it isn't her I care about. I say Sidious should have killed her."

For some reason I was feeling painfully passive. My emotions were watered down, calmed. I wasn't angry. Not anymore.

"Let's go see who really matters here," Tenebris said. Our phantom presences moved out the door, into the hallway, and out into the cruiser. It was so familiar; I felt a rush of nostalgia.

We came to another room. The door opened and we went inside. Boba sat on the bed, his armor off, wearing just his brown tunic. His head was in his hands.

He was crying. I had assumed that Boba just didn't have tears ducts. He wasn't a very sad person. We moved over to the side, away from the door. It opened again, and someone came in.

It was Bultar, from a long, long time ago. Before she fell.

"Why are you so upset?" She asked. "Shanti's going to be fine. Don't cry." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, but he pushed her away gently.

"I just…It makes me sick to think of what he did to her for those eight days…I should have protected her…"

Bultar sighed. "Why do you love her? She will obviously never return your feelings. She loves Luminara."

"I know," Boba said simply.

"Why her? You deserve better," Bultar said. Fett looked up, his eyes red.

"I love her, Bultar. I just do. You know that. You're my best friend."

I could see the Bultar from the past's eyes go wide. The one behind me, Tenebris, tightened her grip around my waist. Her nails were digging into my skin.

The past Bultar's hands were fisted in Boba's sheets, her eyes downcast. "Why her, Boba?" She repeated.

"I don't know," He said. "She's just so perfect…."

"Dammit, why do you want her when she'll never give you the light of day!? Why do I love someone who will never give me a chance either?" Bultar gasped. She dropped her head into her hands. Boba looked surprised.

"What do you mean, Bultar?" he asked. He put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Her face, covered by tears, went a little bit darker. Without saying anything she grabbed his face and kissed him. It was a brief kiss, short and with little passion, but it served its purpose.

"Do you understand now?" Bultar asked quietly. "You dense man."

Boba had nothing to say for a few moments. Then:

"I had no idea you felt this way…I'm sorry. I love Shanti, but I will always think of you as my best friend."

Bultar stood up and ran from the room. Boba reached after her, but her slender arm slid easily out of his grasp. She ran blindly down the hall, not knowing where she was going. Our presences followed her, and I knew that if this was real, Tenebris' nails would be drawing blood from my stomach.

She ended up in her bedroom, curled up on the metal ground crying.

"That witch," she said shakily, wiping her eyes frantically with the backs of her hands. "She's put some kind of spell on him. She just wants to hurt me." Bultar stood up, her hands curled into fists.

The scene before me spun and then was gone. I was back in the room aboard the Sith's ship, still dangling from the ceiling by my wrists, with Tenebris glued to my back.

"So that's when it all started…" I mused. "You love Fett, and he rejected you because my former master is hotter."

That did it. She stepped away from me, and walked around to face me again.

"I changed my mind," She said. Her eyes sparkled with yellow fire. "I think I will torture you."


	12. Chap 12 Jiam

I was the first to see it, a distant speck that got bigger with every passing moment and heading towards us. I turned to Eve, Leia, and Naria. We were tasked with keeping a lookout, because we had been causing Irka trouble. Or so Ahsoka said. She banished us outside and told us not to come back until we had run out all our energy.

"I'll go tell Irka and Ahsoka," Leia said. She took off, running back to the village. I watched as the ship came closer and closer. I reached out with the force, but it was too far away for me to identify its passengers.

As it came closer and closer, a familiar presence suddenly overwhelmed me. It was Fay! Fay was on that ship!

Ahsoka, Irka, and Leia came running out of the village gates and over to where I stood with Naria and Eve.

"It's Fay, Master Ha, and Master Secura," the Togruta said.

"I can sense Fay!" I said. Ahsoka smiled.

"Well done, Jiam," Irka said.

We waited until the ship landed, and then we hurried up to it. It was the same ship that the others had departed in. Master Secura was the first to appear, and she didn't look good. She had bruises all over her face, and her one sleeve was ripped. Master Ha was behind her, and she looked worse. I could tell that her left arm was broken.

Fay was behind them, and in stark contrast to the older Jedi's broken and bruised appearances, she looked fine. She was skipping.

"Fay!" I said, and I ran forward and hugged her. She returned my hug. Then I noticed they had someone else with them. A young male…uh…blue skinned guy.

"This is Coel Trebor," Fay said. "He was Sinoccus' prisoner, like me."

"Uh, nice to meet you, Coel," I said.

"This is my brother Jiam and my sister Eve," Fay finished.

"Nice to meet you," Coel said in unaccented basic.

"We have some serious things to talk about," Fay said. She walked away from where Irka was treating Master Ha's arm. Leia, Naria, and Coel followed us.

"Did you know our father was a Sith lord?" Fay demanded as soon as we were out of earshot of the adults.

"Yes," Eve and I said. Leia nodded. We had told her not long after Mom told us. Coel did nothing, just stood completely still.

"No," Naria said. "What does a Sith have to do to be a lord?"

Fay rolled her eyes. That was something she didn't do very much. Eve was more cold and sarcastic, while Fay was sympathetic and understanding. If anyone should roll their eyes at a dumb question, it would be Eve.

"Of course. You aren't a Jedi, so you wouldn't know," Fay scoffed, ignoring our Maixan friend's question. "Did you know he was once the Chancellor of the Republic?"

"Geez Fay, did you think Mom told us nothing?" Eve said. "Of course we knew that. We also know he's from Naboo, and his name was Palpatine. His Sith name was Darth Sidious. Mom killed him when he tried to take us away from her, but before that, everyone thought that he was dead because Master Ti stabbed him. Mom said she didn't know how he survived that."

Fay's eyes had gone wide. She clearly didn't know as much as we did.

"Who told you? That Sith?" I asked. She nodded.

"He showed me pictures. Did you know that our Mom fell to the dark side once?"

"What?" Eve asked, eyes wide.

"Obviously that's a lie," Leia said. "Master Shanti would never do that."

"But he told me so!"

"And you believed the word of a Sith?" Eve asked. She was glaring openly at our sister, looking furious. The suns had started to set, and the twilight was making her yellow eyes gleam in contrast to her pale skin.

"Hey," I said, putting my hand on Eve's arm. "It's been a long day. Fay is probably tired. I know I am. We should go back to the village and lay down."

"Fine," Eve said, and swatted my hand off her. She was the first to start stalking back home, with Leia right behind her.

"How could you suggest that?" Eve asked after a moment of quiet. "Mom would never do that."

Fay was silent. She must be worried that Sinoccus had lied to her. We walked back to the village in silence, after I told Irka where we were going. The strange Omwati boy, Coel, followed us. He had been very quiet since landing here. Maybe he felt out of place. I'd have to see what I could do to remedy that.

We got back to the village, and I showed Coel to a spare room. It was across the hall from mine, so if he needed anything, he could ask me. Eve and Fay parted with one final glare and went into their respective rooms. Leia sighed and went into her room. Naria had departed us a while ago, to go the Maixan part of the village.

"Would you like me to show you around the temple?" I asked politely. He shrugged.

"Sure," he said. His voice was quite soft.

"Follow me," I said. I left the wing that contained the rooms, and decided to show him the Great Jedi Hall first.

"What is this?" He asked as he looked down the long hall. Pictures decorated the walls, as did busts of many famous Jedi. Several Jedi's lightsabers were also displayed. Over the course of the twelve or so years the Jedi had lived on Teth, my mom and the others had collected a huge amount of…Jedi stuff. My mom was thrilled when she found a lightsaber that had 'Adi Gallia' inscribed on the inside of the rim in the cargo hold of a pirate ship that crash landed here about four years ago. I heard of Adi Gallia. She was a really powerful Jedi Master who had helped teach my Mom and was one of Master Ti's best friends.

There was also the lightsabers of a lot of other really famous Jedi Mom and Luminara told me about. There was Ki-Adi-Mundi's, Plo Koon's (which Master Swan and Ahsoka had had a bit of a fight over just a few days ago…), and Count Dooku's. Mom often admired Dooku's lightsaber.

"You use Master Gallia's lightsaber all the time, but if you like that one so much, why do you never touch it?" I asked one day, as an innocent little seven year old.

"Dooku would not have wanted me using his lightsaber," She said. "Even if he did go to the dark in the end, he was still a powerful Jedi and he deserves my respect. Master Gallia was a very good friend of mine. She tried so hard to teach me piloting…" Then she broke off and laughed.

"This is where we pay respect to all the ancient Jedi who are no longer with us," I said, snapping back to the present to answer Coel's question.

"Sinoccus was always wondering what had happened to Dooku's lightsaber," Coel said. He touched the glass of the box that surrounded the weapon.

"Who are the Jedi on the walls?" The Omwati asked after a moment, looking away from the curved hilt lightsaber.

"Well, I don't remember all their names," I said. "But that's the Jedi council that Master Ti and Master Kenobi served with. That's Master Yoda, and that's Master Windu. You know who they were, right?"

"Of course," he said.

"That's Master Adi Gallia. She was Master Ti's best friend. And that's Master Jiam Akshay. He trained Luminara. I'm named after him." In the photograph, my namesake was looking sternly at the camera, but you could tell it was an act because the left half of his mouth was so stiff, he was trying not to smile.

"And her?" He pointed at an image of a tall, slender blond woman who wore a light lavender robe.

"That's Master Jennifer Cartiér. She trained Master Ti. She had to have been so freakin' strong…" It made my brain hurt to think of someone stronger than Master Ti.

"And that one is Master Fay, right?" He pointed to the image of the elegant, pointy-eared Jedi.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Sinoccus told me about her. He hates her. He says that if she hadn't liked your mother so much, your mom would have been dead a long time ago."

"He's a Sith. He probably says mean things like that all the time."

"He actually isn't that bad," Coel said. I chuckled.

"You just don't know what 'good' is, my friend. It's getting late. I showed you this, but I'll show you the rest of the village in the morning."

"Thank you for your time, Jiam," he said, and dipped his head.

"No problem. It will be nice to have a guy my age around."

We walked back to our rooms in a comfortable silence, neither one of us able to think of something to say. But as I was about to tell him goodnight and go into my own room, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

"Your sister," he said. "I would keep a close eye on her." Then he released me and ducked into his room.

My sister? Which one? Fay or Eve? Why should I keep a close eye on either of them? My guess was that he was talking about Fay. Was she in danger?

I tiptoed over to the door that hid Fay's bedroom. I slowly opened it, sensing Fay was asleep. She was curled into a ball in her bed, the blue blankets in a mess around her. Her breathing was slow and steady. Her room was kind of messy, with books all over the floor. I turned around and left, closing the door as quietly as I could.

Oh well. He was practically a Sith, even though I didn't want to believe that. He could lie just as easily as any other Sith.

I went to my own room and flopped down on the bed, realizing that I was very tired. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.


	13. Chap 13 OS

"So they have returned safe and sound?" Shanti confirmed.

"Yes, though Master Ha's arm is broken," the tiny hologram of Irka said.

"I am glad they are safe," I put in.

"Yes, that makes our job much simpler," Shaak Ti added. "We also know that Teth is better defended, so I can sleep easier at night."

Irka chuckled at that. "So where are you right now?"

"We've tracked the Sith out of wildspace and back into the known universe," I said. "Though we are only in the outer rim. Even so, we are keeping our heads down. It looks like they have landed on the planet Honoghr."

"Alright. Thanks for keeping us informed." Irka smiled, and waved, and then the hologram winked out.

"Let us get this over with," Luminara said.

"Agreed," I said. We began our descent through Honoghr's atmosphere. When we landed, not far from where we sensed the Sith, we hoped we would not run into any Noghri. They weren't very friendly to strangers.

All of us set out. There was Master Ti, Luminara, Shanti, me, Master Kenobi, Master Choi, Scout, and Tann. I was pretty sure we would be able to take the Sith. A hundred Noghri armed with knives, as well. But not without injuries.

The Sith were still aboard their ship. We could sense the Noghri around us, but they were opting to leave us alone for some reason. They probably wanted to see what we were here to do.

We entered the ship, following the signal of Zett's energy. We found ourselves at a room with a closed metal door. Shanti cut through it with her saber and jumped through. She was worried about her former apprentice. We had been feeling pain from him all day in short, strange bursts.

As soon as we were all inside, we were faced with a meditating Sinoccus and Swan. Zett was laying in a heap behind the two of them.

Shanti took out her lightsaber and clapped her hands loudly. Both Sith opened their eyes. Without even saying a word, Bultar lunged at Shanti with the ferocity of a wild animal. Shanti leaned over backwards, ducking her attack, and kicked her feet out from under her. Bultar was back on her feet in a second and the two of them become locked in a deadly dance I knew all too well. Master Ti, Luminara, and Scout jumped to help her. That left me, Master Kenobi, Master Choi, and Tann to face Sinoccus.

He chose me as his first target.

"What's your name, umbra?" He asked as I ducked under his swipe at my head. He was fast.

"Olee Starstone," I answered with a faint smirk threatening to emerge. For a Sith, he was pretty smooth. Few people could figure out what planet I was from, and even fewer people knew the language. Umbra meant 'shadow' in my native tongue. "And you?"

His smirk didn't fade. "You already know who I am, sweetheart."

"Simpy kiss, or something like that," I answered, attempting Cho Mai at his left hand. But he wouldn't fall for the same trick his apprentice did. Also, it seemed my top notch Dun Möch skills were wasted on him.

"Sinoccus," he said.

"Fancy."

Master Kenobi and Master Choi had engaged him as well. He was a whirlwind of red lights, his lightsaber seeming to be everywhere at once. He was so fast…He force pushed Kenobi and Master Choi up into the roof and jumped at Tann, who took advantage of her flexibility to twist around his lightsaber and kick him in the chest. Master Choi landed on Sinoccus' head, comically enough, and almost took it off. Sinoccus was able to shake the Aleen off before he could lose his most precious body part.

"You are all very skilled," He said. "And some of you very attractive. I am surprised."

I rolled my eyes. Again we all jumped at once, trying to back him into a corner. Once again, he narrowed it down to Tann and me. I spun, slashing, as Tann aimed a kick at his knee. I heard it crack and then break, and his concentration snapped. My lightsaber came down and separated his head from his body.

"Master!" Bultar yelled, and flew across the room, kicking Master Ti in the face as she did. The Togruta stumbled back, holding her nose. She flew at me, her strikes so fast I almost couldn't keep up. Then a blue blade came between her and I, and I was staring at Shanti's back.

"This is between you and I, Bultar. Leave her out of it."

Bultar snarled. "My name isn't Bultar Swan. Not anymore. My name is Darth Tenebris."

"Then you have truly fallen beyond help," Shanti said. She unsheathed the other half of her lightsaber and flew into the art of Jar'Kai. Watching her fight was like watching someone who really knew what they were doing. Especially when her opponent was so skilled as well. It was almost beautiful.

Luminara was rushing to Shanti's side, but then Tenebris pushed a button on the far wall with the force. The room was split in half by a ray shield.

"They can't help you now," Tenebris said. "You're alone."

"That may be, but you know I can defeat you on my own."

"True. But can you defeat the both of us?"

I looked around. The only other person on that side of the ray shield was Zett. Even the headless body of Sinoccus was on this side.

Tenebris clapped her hands and Zett stood up. His lightsaber was still attached to his belt. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Good to see you, Zett," Shanti said. He said nothing, just took out his lightsaber. Shanti took a step backwards. "Zett?"

Her former padawan's face was blank, his eyes empty.

A dark, sadistic smile curved Tenebris' mouth. "He is mine, now."

They moved as one, blue and green lightsabers flashing. Shanti barely had time to ignite the other half of her saber and parry both strikes.

"Zett, drop your weapon now!" Master Ti ordered. I didn't understand. Zett's aura was the same. His eyes had yet to turn yellow. He had not fallen to the dark side.

"I have taken over his mind," Tenebris said, answering my unspoken question. "Everything he knows is mine. Everything about him is mine. Mine."

Shanti spun and kicked Zett in the stomach as he came dangerously close to impaling his former master. He flew into the wall and jumped up just moments after slumping to the floor. She used her saberstaff to parry both weapons and keep them occupied while she kicked them.

"We have to find some way to get in there and help her!" Luminara said.

"The walls," said Master Choi. "We can go back into the hallway and cut through them." We ran out into the hallway and found where the line that divided the room in half was. The wall was thick. It took about two minutes to cut through it.

"Let's go!" Master Ti kicked in the circle we had cut out and we ran inside, just in time to see Shanti spin and kick Zett in the side. He fell to the ground with an audible thump.

"How does it feel?" Tenebris asked. Shanti jumped at her and the two of them became locked in a close battle, a sphere of green and blue. Zett jumped back into the fray and I followed him, with Luminara just behind me. Tenebris shoved me backwards with the force and I smashed into the wall, the breath knocked out of me. Shanti had lost her saber, it was on the ground to my right, and had shifted into unarmed combat. She was good, but I knew that in that field, Tenebris was better.

I reached out with the force and grabbed her lightsaber, pushing it into her hand. I felt her relief through the force and was glad. If it was just lightsaber combat, she would win. Master Ti had engaged Zett, and I knew her skills far outmatched Zett's. Even if Tenebris controlled him with the best of her ability, Master Ti would win.

"Tell me, is Boba honestly the father of your child?" Shanti asked as they whirled in a hurricane of flashing lights and flying kicks. I got the feeling that if someone didn't intervene, neither of them would stop until the other was dead.

"And he's a lot better looking than the father of yours," Tenebris answered. Shanti bristled and attempted to chop Tenebris in half, but the black haired woman blocked the strike.

"What you have done to him is no different than what Sidious did to me," the half clawdite answered.

"You could have stopped him. You're strong enough." Tenebris jumped over the blue beam that struck at her legs.

"I wasn't back then." Clash. Clash.

"I'm surprised you kept the children, seeing as they're half Sith. In your position, I would have killed them when they were infants." Tenebris attempted to disarm Shanti with the typical whirling motion, but Shanti countered by flipping her saberstaff around and swinging at Tenebris' neck.

"I'm surprised you didn't try." Tenebris ducked under the strike at her neck by bending over backwards. Shanti spun and kicked at the Sith's knee, probably trying to knock her off her feet. The slender woman jumped over Shanti's foot and tried to knee her in the face, a blow which Shanti narrowly avoided.

My lungs took a heaving breath and the pain finally left my chest. I jumped up and joined Shanti against Tenebris. She flung a bout of Sith Lightning at me. It scorched my clothes and I stumbled back, almost falling, but Kenobi caught me and set me back steadily on my feet.

"Thanks," I breathed. I could tell Shanti and Tenebris were getting tired. Shanti had two blades and more experience, as well as more talent, but Tenebris was out for blood. They seemed about equal. We had to tip the scales in Shanti's favor and take the Sith prisoner.

Kenobi joined Shanti, slipping into their deadly lock as easily as sliding into a game of tag. In just a few seconds, the two Jedi masters had Tenebris disarmed and on her knees, hands up.

"You are under arrest, Darth Tenebris," Kenobi said. Master Ti had subdued Zett some time ago, but Tenebris had not given up and tried to make him attack even when he was disarmed and clearly beaten. Eventually Master Ti had put him in a choke hold and let him pass out. Tenebris jumped, twisting in the air and running out the door. Shanti started to follow her, but then she collapsed. Her shoulder wound had come open and was bleeding. In addition, she had several cuts all over her upper arms. Irka was going to have a fit.

"Let her go," Master Kenobi said as Scout and I started to give chase. "She is lost without her Master."

Luminara bent down and picked up Shanti. I had no idea Luminara was that strong. I thought she was more flexible than strong, but I guess not. Shanti was about four inches shorter than Luminara, but she was pretty skinny.

"You don't have…to carry me," She said faintly. She was exhausted. That had been some battle.

"Too bad," Luminara stated. Master Ti was carrying Zett.

"Let's get back to our ship," Master Kenobi said. "I can sense that Tenebris has already taken a small fighter off the planet.

"That coward," Shanti muttered.

"Hush," Luminara said. "We saved Zett, and Sinoccus is dead. That is much more than we hoped for."


	14. Chap 14 IS

"Did I not tell you to go easy on yourself?" I snapped at Shanti. Force, the woman would never _listen _to me. "You've re-opened it, after I worked so damn hard to close it."

"I'm sorry, Irka," she said. "But I didn't have a choice. Tenebris attacked me, not the other way around."

I channeled my energy, taking a deep breath and filling my lungs. "Who in the name of the force in Tenebris?

"She who is formerly known as Bultar Swan," Master Ti said quietly. She was sitting by the motionless body of Zett. His affliction seemed to be similar to Boba's, but much, much worse. Swan-Tenebris-had left the bounty hunter with some intelligence and willpower left. Quite a lot, actually. But Zett had…well, as far as I could tell, next to nothing. His mind was far away, hidden behind countless veils and leaving us with a vegetable who barely remembered how to breath.

"But we did get Sinoccus," Tann said. "He went down a lot easier than I ever thought he would."

Olee nodded in agreement and winced as the salve Luminara was putting on her bruises stung. "To be honest, I was sure he was going to take at least one of us with him."

"But he didn't," Luminara said as she finished spreading salve over the dark bruise and turned to her own injuries. Force, the lot of them were all so _stupid_…Every single one of them had cuts, burns, and bruises. I hadn't dealt with wounds like this in…oh, say, ten years. Not since the war. They had been silly to charge in and take on the two Sith without a plan.

I wished I could have gone with them.

I wanted my chance at Tenebris' neck. She knew I liked-loved-him and she rubbed what she had done in my face. She destroyed him. Lord only knows how long it would take us to re-build everything she destroyed, if we even could. I would not say it to Shanti, but I feared Zett was beyond help. God, if only Master Saa was here…she always had the answers, for everything medical. Why did she have to die?

"Irka?" Shanti's voice jolted me back to reality. She was frowning, her eyebrows knitting together.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you okay? Your hands clenched up."

"I'm fine." I finished wrapping her shoulder and gave my best stern glare, which must have worked, because her eyes widened a fraction. "Now, you will be easy on that for at least the next few weeks. Or I'll be very angry."

Shanti raised her hand, the uninjured shoulder lifting. "Yes, yes. Don't bite my head off. I'm sorry." I grumped and waved my hand, dismissing her. She left, and the others followed her. I was left alone in my office with him and my thoughts. The only places he ever seemed comfortable was in his room, and here in my office.

Love was for children. That was what I thought for so long, until I met him. Seems corny. He was so nice to me, even though he was a bounty hunter with quite the reputation. Or he was, then. Now he was just a part of our group. A nice guy. Attractive. Dense. Pretty transparent, too. Everyone knew he liked Shanti, even Luminara. Shanti herself still had yet to figure it out.

I had hoped that one day he would take his blinders off and see both myself and Bultar standing there staring at him, but I eventually learned that if he ever did, it wouldn't be me he saw. When they were sent together on the mission to find Xiam, the mission that took ten years for us here on Teth and six months for those actually on it, I knew I had lost. With her soft skin and perfect brown eyes, and silky black hair, she had stupid blonde haired blue-eyed me beaten completely. And Shanti's smooth tan skin and huge green eyes had us both beaten. Until now.

Now he seemed to look right through everyone, his mind far away. He responded when I asked him questions in a childish way. He didn't even remember how to shoot a blaster. He didn't remember what a thermal detonator was, much less how to use one. It was like she had taken his old personality away and implanted in his body someone completely new.

I would have a chance at Tenebris' head. And I'd take it off. Her head, I mean. Something inside me really didn't like this. If Shanti and Shaak can't do it, I have no chance. But I will. I will. For him, not for me. Before, he could do anything, even without a lightsaber. Even without the force.

He was still sitting on my exam table, with that stupid goofy smile on his face, fiddling with a fraying seam on his shirt. In addition to Zett, I also had Lieias'ecura in my office. She was in a coma that she showed no signs of ever waking from. The other one who had come back from the mission to Xiam, Maki, had died the night Tenebris had betrayed us, her head torn off by a Defel. Zett and Lieia seemed to be in the same state, but Lieia felt dead. When I looked at her with the force, I felt nothing. But she still had a pulse, and brain activity. When I looked at Zett, I still felt a spark, but it seemed to be fading...

"Whachta thinking 'bout, Doc?" He asked, not looking at me. I guess for being a borderline vegetable, he was still perceptive. I looked over at Zett.

"Just worrying about him."

Boba finally left the seam alone and looked at me, his eyes glinting softly in the light from the window. I took Zett's wrist and read his pulse, making sure it was steady. If he went into cardiac arrest, I didn't know what I would do. I had never dealt with anything like this before.

"Really?" Boba asked. "I still don't get what exactly happened to him."

I sighed. I had tried three times to explain, but like the children, he just didn't have enough life experience to understand. "His spirit has had parts of it taken away by the same woman who hurt you, Boba."

"It was her?" His fists clenched. I had told him this before. Maybe he had short term memory loss. Note to self, check up on that…

"She's the worst," he said quietly. "I feel sorry for Zett."

"So do I," I said, looking down at his face. Ahsoka hadn't taken his new condition well at all. They couldn't get married like they had been planning for months if he was in a coma. I had been barely able to stop the Togruta from setting up camp beside her fiancé in my office. I'd sent Olee to make sure she ate.

"Will he be okay?" Boba asked, coming to join me by Zett's side. He placed a casual, friendly hand on my bare shoulder that sent a jolt of electricity down my spine. I had forgotten to put my over cloak on this morning and was in my sleeveless turtleneck. The chaos of everyone returning had led me to make myself presentable as fast as humanly possible.

"I don't know," I answered after I composed myself. Before, he hadn't been a very…touch-y person. He didn't shake hands. He didn't give hugs and he didn't like receiving them. Now he put his hand on my shoulder. She changed him. She didn't love him, not like I did. She lusted for him, and that was why she destroyed him. If I can't have him, nobody can; I bet that was what she had been thinking.

"Doc?" Boba asked, his voice concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "Just…tired." I pushed his hand away, the pleasant warmth from his touch leaving me. "I think I'm going to go lay down."

"Have good dreams, Doc," He said with a stunning smile. He went back to his usual place on the exam table. I went into my room after checking on Zett one final time. I had my own small apartment, most of which had been built ever so kindly for me by Shaak, Obi-wan, and MasterChoi. It had a bathroom, a kitchen, a small living space, and a bedroom. Part of it was underground, beneath my office. The living space was the only part above ground. It was good for privacy, certainly. Not so much for visitors. Come, step into my underground fortress which has only one exit…

I pulled my thick blanket over my head. Winters on Teth were harsh, as the seasons here all tended to be. Boiling hot summers with enough rain to cause annual floods and freezing cold winters that usually left five feet of snow. At least the long, wet, and hot summers gave us plenty of time to stock up on food for the winter. We couldn't really import things from other planets, though we went to neighboring planets and collected food there sometimes. Our presence had been hidden so well for so long, until she messed everything up. My heart clenched and darkness threatened my vision.

"Relax," I said aloud. "Hatred is not the Jedi way."

And with those thoughts in my head, I closed my eyes and slept.


	15. Chap 15 Eve

_I was falling. Down, down, down, until I suddenly smacked into a hard floor. The impact should have hurt a lot more than it did, I'm certain. But for some reason, even though it didn't hurt, I didn't want to move. _

_ "Stand up, little one," A soft voice said. I looked up, and met a pair of soft hazel eyes. "I am Master Fay, the one your sister is named for, though you most likely already know that." She offered me her hand and I took it._

_ "Where am I?" I asked, looking around. I was in a long hallway, with four doors. The floor was a pristine white aside from a brown-ish patch on the ground to my left. _

_ "This is the hall of heroes, young Eve. A place found only deep within the force. Once, many years ago, Luminara found it just as you have. She received the first vision she ever had that did not come true here." Master Fay pushed open the door in front of me. "Come. I have something to show you." _

_ She beckoned and I came forward. The room was decked out in dark purples and blacks, and pictures of Jedi littered the velvet walls that shone in the soft light._

_ "It's you, Master Fay!" I said, pointing at the huge picture that looked over the expanse of the room. Also in it was Master Yoda, who I never met but heard a lot about, and Master Saa. _

_ "Yes, I am featured here, along with many other Jedi," Master Fay said. She took my hand and pulled me forwards, towards the right wall. There were pictures of me and my siblings there._

_ "Where is Mom and Luminara? And Master Ti?" I asked. They were heroes, so they had to be here. Obviously. _

_ "At the front, dear one." Master Fay pointed and I saw them as well. I smiled._

_ "Mom and Luminara are the best heroes."_

_ "Yes they are, little one. But that is not what I brought you here to show you." She pointed at the plaque below my sister's name. "What do you see here?" _

_ I squinted. I read a birthday and…a death day? "But Fay isn't dead!" I cried. The date was yesterday. "I saw her just a little while ago!"_

_ "Your sister has been tainted, dear Eve," Master Fay said. "Tainted with the dark side. It is a painful task to place on a child, but you _must _bring her back. She has a destiny to fulfill and no one else can do it, nor can she if she remains tainted as she is. I entrust you with this knowledge, so that you may heal your sister and bring her back to the path of the light."_

_ "But…how could Fay let that happen?" I asked._

_ "She is still very young, as are all of you. Young minds are easily tainted, no matter how strong." Master Fay put her hands on my shoulders and knelt down so we were eye-to-eye. Then she leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently._

_ "Your path is full of misfortune and the edges are rimmed with darkness," she said, "But I know that you, like your mother before you, will prosper and flourish. Do not be afraid to ask for help, my dear." She gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze, and then in a flash of light, she was gone. I was left alone in the room with the many images of Jedi._

_ I turned to look at the left wall. I recognized almost no Jedi there. At the front, I saw only one face I did not know. Upon closer inspection, I saw his name was Anakin Skywalker. He was Leia's father! I had heard about him a lot. Master Kenobi had been pretty cute when he was younger._

_ My mom and Luminara were close to the top. I recognized Jiam Akshay and Master Ti. Mom had defeated two Sith in battle. One of them I could tell was my father. The other was some guy named Darth Vader. I had heard that name before, but I couldn't remember where. And we were mentioned too! We were in Mom's list of achievements! I looked over at Luminara. She survived Order 66, and saved Mom's life! I didn't know that, either. _

_ To my right I saw a picture of Swan. She had been pretty, once upon a time. Why did she have a death date too? She wasn't dead…Master Starstone was there with her. Master Secura and Master Ha were, too. Master Starstone had killed Darth Sinoccus! Wow! _

_ Behind me I heard a thump, and then a voice saying my name. I reached for my lightsaber, but it wasn't there. And then I was falling, with that strangely familiar voice still saying my name._


	16. Chap 16 SS

I woke to the sensation of Luminara shaking me gently. I blinked sleep from my eyes, sitting up slowly. Outside our window, there was a very, very faint light. It must have been extremely early in the morning.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said.

"Good morning yourself," I answered in a murmur and kissed her. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, but I sensed you were having a nightmare. I did not like the feel of it, so I decided to wake you."

I shivered. I didn't remember having a nightmare, but she must have caught it early enough. I rested my head against her shoulder, closing my eyes. I hadn't slept well last night, and neither had she.

"Would you like to go back to sleep?" My wife asked. I put my head back down on the cool, soft pillow and pulled the blankets up to my chin. My eyes hurt.

Luminara followed me, her black hair mixing with my dark brown to create a stain on the pristine white pillow. I absentmindedly ran my fingers over her tattooed knuckles as my eyelids started to flutter closed.

"Maybe we can get in a few more hours," I said quietly. She nodded and her luminescent blue eyes closed, her dark lips curved in a faint smile.

The door burst open, hitting the wall and making such a loud sound I was certain the entire temple was woke by it. I sat up, awake instantly. One hand reflexively started searching for a lightsaber, while the other, the light switch. I had become paranoid lately.

"Shanti! Luminara! Shanti!" Boba said, jumping onto the end of our bed like a ten-year-old. I could only see the faint outline of the Mandalorian. I rubbed my stinging eyes and his blurry, dark image slowly came into focus.

"What is it?"

"Irka's upset. I want you to go make her happy again." His simple-mindedness was almost cute. If only it wasn't so early…

I sighed. Irka's attachment to Boba was dangerous. He was no longer an adult; he was a child in an adult's body with one or two adult-ish tendencies. I knew the blue-eyed Mandalorian felt a deep-seated hatred against Tenebris for taking him away from her. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to straighten it out. Luminara wrapped her arms around my waist from behind, her soft hair tickling my neck.

"What time is it?" She asked, her breath warm against my neck. "It cannot be past six."

"It's four-oh-three," Boba said happily. I sighed.

"It's too early, Boba. If Irka's awake, tell her she needs to go to sleep. Now. And you too."

He bobbed his head up and down earnestly, and frolicked happily out of our room. I stood up, my white nightgown which had been bunched around my hips falling back down to my knees. Usually I slept in a tank top and shorts, but I had wanted to treat myself to something really comfy last night. I closed the door firmly and locked it, knowing that anyone who had something important to say could open it with the force easily.

"What do you think is wrong with Irka?" Luminara asked as I sat back down. I shrugged.

"She's probably feeling like she's lost him forever."

"And she may well have." Luminara sighed and rested her head against the wall, her fingers absently tugging on the edges of the covers. "And…Zett? What do you think about him?"

My heart stung as I pictured my former Padawan, my first student, laying in a coma because I couldn't protect him. Guilt. It stabs like a knife, but a subtle knife. You don't notice its point against your throat until it's too late.

"I don't know," I said. And I didn't want to know, because I feared the absolute worst. If Zett…died…I don't think I would take it very well. Neither would Ahsoka. It was this exact reason why attachments had been forbidden for so long: If one wasn't careful, it could take you down a dark path.

Luminara took my hand. She could probably sense my thoughts. I sighed.

"You have to keep up hope," she said quietly. Then she released my hand in favor of my face and kissed me, holding my head. She was so warm, and I was so cold. I wrapped my arms around her and we tumbled down into a laying position, her landing on top of me. She held me tightly as she covered my mouth with hers. She had always been a good kisser…Always. And she was remarkably dominant, more so than I would have thought.

She ran her hands through my hair, her soft hands so warm I melted.

"Just forget about everything, and relax. For once." She stroked my cheek. I looked up into her big blue eyes and smiled.

"Alright."


	17. Chap 17 Eve

"Eve! _Wake up!" _My eyes fluttered open to see a pair of soft blue eyes hovering over me. I had woke from my dream in such a rush, my heart was pounding. I pushed Fay off me, the ancient Jedi's words rebounding about in my head.

_Your sister has been tainted with the dark side._

"What is it?" I asked, wiping sleepy seeds from my eyes. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It read four-oh-three. Lovely.

"I need you to come out into the forest with me, before anyone else wakes up," my sister whispered.

"Why?"

"I…I don't know! I just do. I'm getting a _feeling_." She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up out of bed. "Let's go! Now!" She sounded remarkably forceful.

"Fine. Give me a minute to get dressed." I slid out of my nightshirt and shorts and put on a blue shirt and long black pants. I didn't feel like putting my robe on. As Fay paced in front of my closed door, I stole a peek out my window. A faint fog had settled over the land, making everything fuzzy.

"Okay. This had better be something good." I stood up, my feet feeling nice and warm in my brown boots. We slid as quietly a possible out of the temple and then out of the village, using the back exit so the sentries didn't see us.

"We need to go into the woods," Fay said. We snuck around the village until we made it to the forest to the west.

"It's kinda cold out here," I said, pulling my jacket tighter around me.

"Don't be such a wimp, Eve!" Fay groaned. I sighed.

"Sorry."

Farther and farther into the misty woods we went, my hair starting to stick to my neck from the humidity. I pulled the fine white hairs away and brushed them out with my fingers. Fay didn't look any direction but forewords. Her single-mindedness was almost scary.

"This is where we need to be," Fay said. This section of forest looked absolutely no different from all the others. I frowned. Fay sat down and crossed her legs, closing her eyes. She was meditating. My frown deepened. Fay hated meditating.

"Well? Are you going to do it to?" My sister demanded. Slowly, uncertainly, I sat down and tried to meditate, but my head was screaming. After just a few minutes I opened my eyes, and saw something weird. The fog around us had thickened, so much so I couldn't see the trees around us. I heard a rustling off to the left, and something else-Breathing! My heart leaped into my throat and I looked around with the force. No one was close enough for me to see them. Just Fay…

"Psst. Fay!" I whispered, and nudged her. The rustling was getting louder. I still couldn't sense anything at all. All I could visibly see was the ground around us for about a four foot-diameter. Or so. I'm not very good at proportions. She opened her eyes slowly.

"I know. Can you sense him too?"

"I can't sense a bloody thing."

"Then your eyes must be closed, Eve." A new voice spoke. My head snapped up, my hand on my lightsaber.

"Who's there?" My eyes darted back and forth. The fog kept me from seeing pretty much anything but my sister. An eerie feeling was coming over me. Fay put her hand over mine, pushing my lightsaber down. I hadn't unsheathed it yet, maybe that would have made seeing through the fog easier…

"I'm right here, children," that same voice said. Then a figure stepped out of the fog, looking ethereal and almost like fog itself. The misty figure sat down, and beckoned for us to do so as well. I sat down, keeping my hand on my weapon. Though I was pretty sure not even a lightsaber would hurt mist…

"Who are you? What are you?" I asked. The foggy person laughed and his face started to take form.

"You should recognize me, Eve. I am Darth Sidious, your father."

"Our father is dead," I said. "And he means nothing to me. Luminara raised us, not him."

Again the figure laughed, and solidified. My heart skipped a beat. He looked like me; he looked just like the person in that picture Master Ti had shown us…

"Can you deny it anymore, my daughter?" He asked. "It is true that, thanks to your mother, I no longer dwell in the same realm as you. But that does not mean I do not want a hand in my children's upbringing." His words sent shivers down my spine. I slid backwards. Fay grabbed my arm.

"Wait. He probably has something to tell us." I swatted her hand away.

"Fay, don't you remember all the things Mom and Luminara told us? He's a _Sith Lord_! He wants to make us Sith like him! He's a bad man!"

Our father laughed. "Ah, Shanti. She was always so biased against me…"

"And with good reason!" I countered. "You hurt her! You made her do things she didn't want to do!"

"And yet you say such thins, while you do not know my side of the story," he said, his yellow eyes standing out from his pale skin, just like mine…I scuttled backwards again, and this time Fay didn't try to grab me.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" I said.

"Not even if I could teach you things no one else can?"

"The dark side, you mean!"

"Yes. Did you know your mother used a Sith technique to kill me?"

That slowed me down. He was smiling, and I felt like I was suddenly being watched from all sides.

"Does it matter? I'm glad you're dead."

His smile didn't fade. "I'm sorry Eve, but I can't let you leave if you won't hear me out."

"How are you going to stop me?"

"Do you even know which way home is?"

My blood froze. I looked around, and all I could see was pale fog thicker than any I had ever seen.

"See?" Fay said. "We might as well hear what he has to say."

I shifted forward just a little and frowned.

"That was painless, wasn't it?" Sidious said. "Now, let me ask you a few questions, my children. How old are you?"

"We're eleven," Fay chirped. She was grinning broadly. How could she not see the imminent danger hovering over us?

"How is your mother doing?"

"Mom is fine. She got hurt fighting Darth Tenebris and Darth Sinoccus, but in the end she won and cut off both of Darth Tenebris' hands! It was so cool!" A faint smile painted the ghost's lips. It sent shivers down my spine.

"And your brother? How is he fairing?"

"He's good! He's made a new friend. That reminds me, why didn't you call him here too?" Sidious snorted, the smile dropping from his face in a second.

"Your brother is too much like _her. _He will not listen to a thing I have to say. But you, my dear Fay, and you, Eve, I know you will."

"He's too much like Mom?" I asked, tilting my head.

"No. Too much like _her._"

"Who's 'her', Dad?" Fay asked. The sudden temptation to hit her welled up in me. This man might be our father, but he was _not_ our dad.

"Luminara," Sidious said after a moment. He looked furious. "That…My arsenal of disparaging names and adjectives fails me for the first time. She and Shaak Ti ruined everything I had planned, but her most of all. She dares to think she can replace me in your lives and in Shanti's. Shaak Ti was just protecting the girl she had practically raised." His fists were clenched.

"You're wrong." My nails were scratching in the dirt. "Luminara was a better parent than you could ever be."

That made him angry, and sudden he was in my face, yellow eyes pinning me to the ground. "Don't you ever compare me to that wench, especially if you think more highly of her, or you will live to regret it." His eyes were blazing, and for the first time since the ghost had appeared, I could feel the dark side. Adrenaline blasted in me and I turned and ran into the fog, blundering about blindly and tripping over things. My heart was pounding harder than it had when I woke from my dream, I was sure it would thud its way right out of my chest any minute now…I couldn't stop, just running and running and trying so hard to get away from him…I understood why Mom had killed him, why Luminara never said his name. Even as a ghost he was terrifying, and I could only imagine what he was like when he was alive…

I kept running and running until my legs gave out and I collapsed, realizing a fine drizzle had started falling from the sky and the ground was slippery and muddy. I was shaking, but not from cold.

"How could he be my father? Our father?" I whispered to the fog and the rain. Of course, they didn't answer. And I didn't have an answer either.


	18. Chap 18 LU

"Eve? It is time to get up. We are doing training in the fog," I said as I knocked on the closed door. No response. She must have stayed up late again. I sighed and swung the door open. The blankets were messy and her nightclothes lay in a pile beside the vacant bed. I had not sensed her leave the temple…I reached out with the force and could not find her presence anywhere in the temple.

"Is Eve ready?" Shanti asked from behind me. Olee was with her, and both their apprentices stood beside them.

"She is not here," I said with a sigh. "Force only knows where she has run off to. I cannot sense her in the temple."

"There you are!" Tann said. "I can't find Fay!" Shanti pinched the bridge of her nose. We had planned to take the apprentices outside, taking advantage of the misty day to do some training.

"Is she in the temple?" I asked. The Twi'lek shook her head, lekku flying.

"No. I can't sense her anywhere near us."

Shanti turned to the pair of apprentices. "Change of plans. Instead of doing lightsaber training in the fog, we are going to do tracking training in the fog." Jiam and Leia exchanged a glance, then turned back to their masters and smiled.

"Okay."

"What do we do first?" I prompted, looking at Leia. She shifted her feet and answered uncertainly,

"We broaden our force-range to pinpoint exactly where to look?"

"Correct! We must know where on the planet they are, so we don't go running on a hundred wild Kantha chases," Olee said.

"I think I can sense them in the forest," Jiam said. Shanti nodded, confirming this.

"Yes, they are, in fact, in the forest. And deep within it. They must have left around an hour ago, to have gotten so far from the village."

"Let's get underway, then," I said. For some reason I felt nervous. We left the temple and walked to the forest.

"Olee, Jiam, and I will look over the east half, while Shanti, Tann, and Leia will go over the west half. Is that alright with you?" I said. Shanti smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Sounds good to me." Olee shrugged.

"Let's do it," Tann said. We entered the forest, and I looked to Jiam.

"Where can you sense your sisters?" I asked.

"Eve is closer to us then Fay is," he said. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"Can you lead us to her?" Olee asked. Jiam nodded.

"This way." He led us forward, his steps slow. He kept his head up, eyes narrowed slightly against a faint wind that had come up. It was early spring, so the mornings were sometimes cold. Hence the fog.

In front of us I could hear crashing, like someone running very recklessly. Then a splat, and then nothing. Eve's presence washed over me like a wave, and I pushed past Jiam. She was upset and worried, and scared. I jumped over a large root and found her lying there, curled up in a ball. Her eyes seemed far away, but I bent down and touched her shoulder, and she returned back to us.

"Luminara…where's Fay?" She asked as she sat up, covered in mud. I shook my head.

"We do not know. Shanti and a few others are looking for her."

Eve jumped to her feet, but she was shaking, and that combined with the mud made her slip. I caught her hand and pulled her back to her feet. "We have to find her! She's in danger…"

"How so?" I asked. I hadn't sensed danger around Fay at all.

"We have to find her!" She started to take off running, but I seized her elbow.

"No. First, you are going to tell me why you left the temple so early in the morning without telling anyone. Then you are going to tell me how Fay is in 'danger'. Are we clear?" I said. I do not like having to be stern with children, but often it is necessary.

"Fay came and told me she was feeling like we needed to go out into the forest…like the force was calling her," Eve explained, her yellow gaze on the ground.

"And you followed her, instead of going to an adult?" I asked, exasperated. Eve looked down at the ground and nodded.

"But you don't understand! I felt like I should, and then we went out into the forest, and the fog got really super thick, and then he came…" For some reason, the way she was speaking chilled me.

"Who came, Eve?"

"Our father…he came to see us from the other side..." She had clasped her hands together and was wringing them out. My heart jolted.

"Sidious' force ghost came to you?" I gasped. Eve nodded.

"Is he still with Fay?" Eve shrugged.

"I said something about you being better than him and he got mad, and I ran away." She bit her lip. "Fay wanted to hear what he had to say…" I closed my eyes, expanding my senses and looking for Fay.

Then I was hit with a jolt from Shanti and I's force bond. The sudden feeling of shock was so strong I almost fell to my knees. It did not subside, it kept coming, stronger and stronger…My mind automatically found her force signature and my feet were moving before I knew what was even happening. I heard the sound of Olee asking where I was going, but I could not stop. My feet flew.

In what felt like a matter of moments, I jumped over a root and faced Shanti, Tann, and Leia. Shanti was standing just behind Tann, who towered over her apprentice. The Twi'lek's eyes were furious. Shanti's back was to me. Fay's eyes burning with hatred as she started up at her mother and her mentor. I ran over to Shanti and put my hand on her shoulder. She was facing away from me, but when I touched her she spun around and looked at me. There were tears in her eyes. I was shocked.

"What happened?" I demanded. Shanti's eyes narrowed.

"Even killing him isn't enough," she murmured.

"I never would have thought my own mother was a murderer," Fay sneered. I was taken aback. I had never heard such malice in such a young child's voice.

"You do not speak to your mother like that, child," Tann reprimanded her. Fay's aura had changed. It was darker, not completely dark, but still darker than it had been before…right? Actually, I had not gotten the chance to check on her since she had returned from being Sinoccus' prisoner.

"What happened?" Olee asked as she jumped down from a tree, Jiam and Eve behind her. "You suddenly ran off. How come?"

"She was probably sensing me being surprised that my own daughter would jump down from a tree and attack myself and my apprentice," Shanti said, her voice cold as ice. Fay did not flinch, but Leia did, and I noticed that one of the young human's braids was gone.

"Why did you do that, Fay?" I asked. Her lip curled.

"I might have answered Tann when she asked me, but I don't have to explain myself to a whore like you."

I have been called far worse in my lifetime, but never by someone so young and especially not by someone I considered family, so I was quite startled. I doubted she even knew what the word meant. My suspicions were confirmed when Jiam leaned over to whisper in Olee's ear, and I heard him ask his master for the definition of the word. Olee sighed and promised to explain later.

"Fay!" Tann said. "You do not speak to anyone that way. Much less Luminara. I am disappointed in you." Her blue eyes narrowed, and her lips were slightly raised, revealing the infamous sharp teeth of Twi'leks. Tann was furious and, for some reason, slightly ashamed. Well, she was young, and Fay was her first apprentice. Perhaps she was afraid that she would be judged harshly for Fay's actions.

"Do you even know what that word means, little one?" I asked, refusing to be offended.

"No," she admitted, glaring fiercely at the ground. "But it's what Dad calls you."

Shanti's hands balled into fists. "Dad. Do not ever call him that again. Ever. He is not a father. He never was a father. And if his 'ghost' ever comes back, I'll find some way to bring him back from the dead and kill him all over again. And I'll enjoy it." Her forehead mark was glowing. I did my best to soothe her through our force bond. She was furious, mostly at Sidious, but partly at Fay and partly at Sinoccus. Being angry with any of them would get us nowhere.

"Mom…" Eve said, coming up to poke Shanti in the side. "I should have told you sooner…I had a dream. Master Fay came to me and told me that Fay had been tainted by the dark side. She said I had to bring her back…I thought I could do it alone…" She looked down at the ground. Shanti touched her shoulder.

"What's done is done," I interjected. "As Jedi, we must let go of the past."

"Yet the past will not let _us _go," Shanti muttered. I put my hand on her shoulder and felt the anger within her. It was true, the past had been being rather sticky lately.

"Because you did things wrong," Fay said. I spun around and took her by the shoulders, bending down so we could look eye-to-eye. My anger was close to overflowing, and not even my many years of Jedi training was holding it down. And just as our eyes met, me opening my mouth for a positively grand lecture that would have done absolutely nothing, she passed out.

"Is she okay?" Jiam asked, looking over my shoulder. Tann was resting her forehead against a tree.

"She is fine, she just lost consciousness," I said. I picked her small body up.

"It isn't your fault, Tann," Shanti said, putting a hand on my former apprentice's shoulder. "If it is anyone's fault that she was tainted, it's mine."

"It is the fault of Sidious, and no one else," I said firmly. "Let us return to the village, and Irka can see Fay. We can also purge the darkness from her if need be."

We walked back to the village in an awkward silence. Ahsoka and Shaak waited for us at the gates. They had probably sensed something was wrong. Shaak took Fay from me and told us to go meditate, because we needed it. Those were her exact words. Leia went with Shaak, to get her hair evened out. I took Shanti back to our bedroom, with the intention to meditate.

"I just can't beat him," my wife muttered. "I can't."

"Do not start thinking like that," I said, drawing her into an embrace. "You did beat him. In many ways. You did not become a Sith. All three children have grown in the light side. And you killed him, not the other way around. You won, my love." She felt limp in my arms, as if all she wanted to do was collapse to the ground. She buried her face in my collarbone, her arms tight around me.

"And he comes back from the grave to haunt me," she said into my neck. I rubbed her back.

"We should meditate, as Shaak said," I said after a moment. "My mind is blurry, and I can sense yours is as well."

She sighed, her breath warm against my skin. "You're right."


	19. A word from Darth Tenebris

I smiled. Eve was a bust, but I had something new to work with now. Sinoccus might be dead, but just after his death I was visited by a ghost who resembled Sidious. He offered to finish teaching me in the ways of the dark side, and the first thing he did was promise to find me a new apprentice. I had no idea it would be Fay until I saw her in the vision that had come to me just a few moments ago.

"And so the Sith grow stronger," I mused. "And one day you will all fall at my hands."


	20. Chap 20 ST

"So, has Fay turned to the dark side?" I asked, picturing the girl's peaceful sleeping face. Tann shrugged.

"I don't think so. She's just confused."

"I agree," Olee said. We sat in a ring, with myself at the head. Master Saa used to sit beside me, but no longer. Obi-wan sat to my right, and across Master Saa's seat, to my left, was Master Choi. Next to Master Choi was Irka, who had taken Tenebris' spot on the council. Next was Olee, and beside her was Aayla. Next to Aayla was Shanti, and of course, beside her was Luminara. Finally, there was Kina Ha. Tann was not officially on the council, but we wanted her input on this particular situation.

We were having a council meeting, for two reasons. One, we needed to decide what to do with Fay, and two, we needed a new Grand Master. Master Saa would have swatted us all for waiting so long. At first Obi-Wan and Olee tried to nominate me, but I said I was quite happy with just Master of the Order, thank you very much. We decided to temporarily drop the subject and move on to the issue of Fay.

"She should be given a second chance," Olee said. Luminara and Shanti had remained silent most of the meeting, only giving input on who should be the Grand Master. They both thought I should, of course. I did not think I was ready for that.

"I disagree," Master Ha said, bringing my mind back to the subject at hand. "She has fallen and she needs to be disciplined."

"I agree," Master Choi said. "But I do not think she should be persecuted. Just…well, as Master Ha said, disciplined."

"But she has not yet completely fallen!" Obi-wan protested. "She can be saved now if she wakes to smiles and compassion instead of your 'discipline'."

"So would let her think she can get away with whatever she wants?" Aayla put in. "Children think that if one wrongdoing by them goes unpunished, it's being sanctioned by the adults."

"Isn't being tainted by darkness punishment enough?" Olee put in, jumping to her feet. "She must feel horrible, knowing the things she did."

"Must being the key word, Master Starstone," Kina said, standing to face the black-haired human. "Do we even know if she is purified of the darkness?"

"This is absurd," Obi-wan said, standing as well. "She is just a child. Even if she does fall completely into the dark, what threat is she?"

"There is the threat of her contaminating the other children, Obi-Wan," Aayla said softly.

"But she won't go dark!" My friends were raising their voices. "Children are naturally light creatures who can have dark moments, as Fay did, but an eleven year old girl is incapable of becoming a Sith!" Obi-wan sounded almost hysterical. The tension in the room was rising, fast.

"Not so, Master Kenobi," Kina said frigidly. "In my long years of life I have seen Sith even younger than little Fay."

"That's a lie. Children so young do not have enough darkness in them."

"You'd be surprised how much darkness a young child can have, Master Kenobi," Shanti whispered, so quietly I was sure no one but I and Luminara had heard her.

"But even so, we cannot judge Fay harshly for what is most likely not her fault! It is the fault of the Sith who kidnapped her. They must have fed her lies and half-truths!" Olee said, coming to stand next to Obi-wan.

"'Most likely' not her fault, Master Starstone?" Aayla said sharply. "That leaves room for error."

"Make no mistake, we cannot afford to be thoughtless!" Master Choi put in.

"But we cannot afford to lose Fay to the dark side either!" Olee said, her orange eyes narrowed.

"And that is why immediate disciplinary action must be taken!" Aayla shot back. She was glaring openly at Olee, who returned her furious azure gaze without flinching. Obi-wan looked less aggressive, but still unhappy. Luminara and Shanti were starting to look uncomfortable.

"My apprentice meant no harm, she was misguided by the Sith," Tann put in, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"You are biased in the favor of your apprentice, Knight Gell," Kina said, pinning the young Twi'lek in place with her huge Kaminoan eyes. "I suggest you remain silent or leave."

"That is unfair, Master Ha," Irka said, speaking up for the first time during the conference. Thankfully, the blond Mandalorian remained seated. "Tann is a Jedi just like the rest of us, and she deserves her say in this matter. If it were your apprentice, would you not do the same?"

"If it were my apprentice, I would never have let her wander so close to the dark side in the first place, _Master _Shji." Kina put a heavy emphasis on Irka's title, granted to her just a few days ago. She had to take the knight trials again in order to earn it, as we all felt through the force. Then again, she had not taken the trials in order to become a knight in the first place, so many felt it was for the best.

"You did not address the main body of my question," Irka said stubbornly. "Tann deserves her say in Jedi matters just as we all do."

"A counterfeit Jedi deserves representation in the order? I think not," Kina said, elongating her neck. Irka bristled, as did Tann and Luminara, but the latter two Jedi held their tongues.

"A false Jedi? Excuse me, Master Ha, but I fail to see how Tann is anything but a true Jedi."

"She never did receive true Jedi training, from a true Jedi Master-," at this, Shanti started to rise from her chair, green eyes narrowed just a fraction, but Luminara put her arm out across the changeling's chest and stopped her. "-with a true connection to the force. Neither did you, may I point out, Master Shji. You started your Jedi training at age, what, twenty-four?"

Irka rose, her stance aggressive and her aura flaring with anger. "Master Saa began training me when I was twenty. Do you doubt her judgment, and the judgment of Master Ti, and of Master Kenobi?"

"Yes, I do," Kina said, taking a step forward. "But I would doubt the judgment of any Jedi who takes one so…old…as an apprentice, grants the title of Master to one who has had barely thirteen years of training, and then puts one so inexperienced on the council."

"The arrangement with Master Shji on the council is only temporary, until the dark times have passed," Olee said.

"The dark times should be combated with experienced masters who know what they are doing, not children," Master Choi put in, coming to stand beside Kina. The energy in the room was rioting, the tension so thick I could taste it. I wondered if I should say anything…Was remaining silent and allowing the conflict to escalate the right thing to do?

"So you would limit the council to only the senior Jedi?" Obi-Wan snapped. "That would mean you, Master Ha, Master Ti, and myself. A council of four Jedi, no matter how wise, could do very little."

"So in other words, I, Olee, Luminara, and Irka have nothing worthy to contribute?" Shanti spoke up, waiting politely for Obi-Wan to finish. She remained seated, but her hands gripped the armrests of her chair tightly.

"You do, you do," Master Choi said, his voice bordering on placating, "It just seems useless to have you on the council-"

"You, Master Stefan, are a liability," Kina said sharply, speaking at the same time as Master Choi and prompting the Aleen to cut off his sentence. My heart twisted and anger reared its head. Shanti looked up at the tall Kaminoan, rage and calmness battling in her eyes.

"And how is that so, Master Ha?" Luminara asked, putting a hand on Shanti's arm and leaning forward in her chair slightly. The Mirialian sounded completely calm, her eyes steady.

"Master Stefan most likely should have been jettisoned from the ranks of the Jedi many years ago when she succumbed to the dark side. If that had happened as it should have, the Jedi code would not have been butchered as it is currently-" she shot a pointed glance at Luminara's calming hand on Shanti's arm-"and we would not be having this discussion, because young Fay would not be our concern."

"What a narrow-minded view of the world you have, Master Ha," Olee said. Force no. I knew that look; it was the expression that meant Olee was out to kill. Her head was slightly ducked, a small smile played at her lips. The expression of a predator. I should stop this…"It must come from the many years of isolation you have suffered from, that you never opened your eyes to reality and still live a world where Jedi are the perfect peace-keepers your 'master' imprinted into your clearly very impressionable mind."

Master Ha recoiled as if struck. "My master was a true Jedi, unlike all the fakers who parade around in Jedi garb today!" She was shouting, her voice echoing off the walls of the council room.

"The order changes with time and no one can stop that, Master Ha!" Obi-wan yelled. Then everyone in the room started talking and yelling at once, even Luminara, who had been so calm before. Everyone was on their feet except me, yelling to make their voice heard in the echo-y room.

"Without the changes made the Jedi would not be here today!" Olee snapped at Aayla

"Maybe that would be for the best!" The blue-skinned Jedi shot back. "We were supposed to be the peace keepers, yet look at the state of galaxy now! We have failed!"

"You say your master was a true Jedi," Luminara said, navy gaze on Kina, "Yet I had never even heard of him until I met you. From what I understand, he was a Gray Jedi, not a true knight of the order."

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, having to strain my vocal cords to be heard above the din. Every head in the room snapped to look at me and I stood, elongating my spine and raising my chin. "All of you are acting like children fighting over a toy in the playground. This meeting is adjourned. We shall meet again in a few hours, when cooler heads will prevail."

I stalked over to the door and left the room, my nerves feeling frazzled. Everyone had trusted Master Saa, everyone had liked her, and without her, keeping such a diverse group of Jedi united was a difficult task…I just hoped that the others had chosen to adjourn as I had ordered. I was glad when I saw Shanti and Luminara come down the hallway and turn down the corridor that led to their room, with Aayla and Master Choi not far behind them. Both duos had their heads close together and were talking quietly. My head hurt. It was time for a long, long meditation.


	21. Chap 21 OS

_A/N:...I'll apologize in advance. Sorry._

* * *

"What happened in there, Master?" Jiam asked as I stalked into the infirmary with Tann and Obi-wan. Fay was still asleep, her brother and sister watching over her.

"Everyone started yelling and Shaak Ti adjourned the meeting. We're meeting again in a few hours when everyone has calmed down."

Jiam's eyebrows rose. "So, we don't have a grand master _and_ you don't know what you're going to do with Fay?"

I shook my head. "It was an hour and a half completely wasted." But I was still angry. How could Kina Ha suggest that we condemn a little girl? And then she even had to go so far as to say she was the only real Jedi.

"I could hear the yelling all the way down here," Eve said, standing up from the chair she had been sitting in backwards, straddling it like it was some sort of mount. "All I caught, though, was something about Master Shji and changes to the Jedi code."

"It's a long story that you don't need to hear about, children," Obi-wan said. One could almost see his last few red hairs going gray on his head and chin.

The door that lead to Irka's office, which was, of course, attached to the infirmary, burst open and the doctor herself stormed in with Boba trailing after her like a lost puppy. Her aura was flaring, her emotions rioting. She was muttering in Mandalorian, probably swear words. I heard Kina Ha's name several names. Why I chose to learn Huttese in school instead of Mandalorian, I will never know.

"Irka, you must calm yourself," Obi-wan said, his voice sounding extremely concerned. Why? She looked angry, but not _that_ angry…Then again, I remembered that Obi-wan could speak Mandalorian and I couldn't.

"I am calm, Obi-wan," Irka snapped, switching to basic, "As calm as I can be when someone says such things to my face."

"Let it go. Master Ha is an old-fashioned Jedi and always will be. You cannot let her drag you down."

"You agree with her, don't you?" Irka was getting hysterical. She had been previously facing the left wall, but then she spun on one heel to impale Obi-wan with those shocking blue orbs. "You don't think I'm a real Jedi either!"

"Irka, I don't know where you're getting that idea, but it is completely false. I think you are every bit as true of a Jedi as I am."

"Liar!" Irka's hand flew to her shoto and in an instant she was jabbing at Obi-wan's chest. I involuntarily grabbed my lightsaber and tried to parry her strike, but Obi-wan was faster than I.

"Irka, you must calm down!" I said, trying to grab her shoto with the force. She held onto it obstinately and fled the room. Boba's expression was blank.

"Go after her, Olee. Quickly! Before she reaches Master Ha!" Obi-wan said. I could sense her intention, and it wasn't pretty. I took off out the door, feet and heart pounding. I could sense Irka heading towards Kina's room, and I doubled my efforts to catch up, but damn. She was fast.

And suddenly her course changed. She wasn't going to Master Ha's room anymore; she was going to the hangar. Why? And furthermore, she had almost completely calmed down. In less than four seconds. Something was wrong. Even Master Ti can't calm down that fast.

A sudden spike of agitation and shock from Luminara jolted me. If Irka wasn't going to kill Master Ha, I could probably let her go wherever she was going…she probably just wanted to get away for a while. I spun on my heel and ran to Shanti and Luminara's room, but I didn't make it all the way there, because just before I rounded a corner, a blur of blue shot around it and I jumped frantically to the side. Shanti was barely parrying Aaylas ferocious strikes at her head. What in the name of the Force was happening here? Aayla's energy rioted with darkness and hate.

"This isn't you Aayla, it's Tenebris," Shanti was saying. "She has a hold on your mind. You have to fight her!"

"You're mistaken, Shanti. Tenebris has nothing to do with this." Shanti parried a fast strike at her left leg. I stretched out with the force and yanked Aayla's lightsaber from her hands, since neither of them seemed to have noticed I was here. In a second Shanti had her lightsaber at the Twi'Lek's throat.

"I'm sorry, Aayla," she said.

"What's going on?" I asked, standing up and attaching Aayla's lightsaber to my belt.

"I don't know. Luminara and I were meditating and then all of a sudden Aayla and Master Choi came into our room and attacked us!"

"The same thing happened to Obi-wan. We were in the infirmary and Irka attacked him."

"The dark side is at work here," Luminara said, materializing behind Shanti with Master Choi's lightsaber in one hand and the unconscious Aleen in the other. "I fear it is the work of Tenebris. She preyed upon the earlier emotions of anger to get into some of our minds."

"You only wish it was Tenebris," Aayla said. "You only wish." Suddenly she struck out with the force and seized her lightsaber from my belt. Luminara jerked Shanti backwards and she barely avoided being bisected by our lovely Twi'Lek friend. Aayla took off down the hallway and literally ran over Tann, who must have felt the disturbance in the force and came to help us. I started to take off after her, leaping over the younger Twi'lek, but as I passed Tann caught my arm. Something about her felt wrong, but not dark. A shocking, deep sadness clouded her eyes.

"Fay is dead," Tann said, and I noticed tear streaks on her cheeks.

"What?" Shanti said, coming up behind me and almost shoving me aside.

"I recognized that Master Ha was right…I'm sorry-" The young knight never got finish her sentence, because Shanti had shoved her aside and was running down the hallway like an entire legion of Sith were after her. Luminara wasn't far behind. I strained to catch up to them, and I saw out of the corner of my eye Tann slide to the ground.

Shanti flung open the door to the infirmary. It hit the wall so hard it left a dent in the hard wood. Eve and Jiam cowered behind Irka's desk. The bed Fay had been resting on was painted red with blood. Master Ha arrived just after we did, and her huge eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"This is not what I meant…this isn't what I wanted…" the tall Kaminoan said, gaping at the dead child. Shanti knelt next to the bed, beside the headless body of her youngest child. Eve and Jiam came out from behind Irka's desk and ran to their mother, crying. Shanti looked blank, void, all emotion gone. Like she had after she killed Sidious. Luminara sat next to her, her face buried in her hands.

"Master! Master!" Leia flew into the room, cradling the corpse of the Omwati boy we had rescued from the Sith in her arms. Shanti's blank eyes looked up to see her apprentice with tears in her eyes.

Master Ti was right behind the two children, and her hands flew to her mouth when she saw the scene in the infirmary. Scout and Ahsoka were on her heels.

"What…what happened here?" Master Ti whispered, dropping to her knees at Shanti's side.

"Master Gell came in here and told us that our sister was a bad p-p-person, and she had to go, and she was real sorry," Jiam whispered. He had the same trait of silent crying that his mother did.

"Tann killed Fay?" Scout gasped, her eyes darting back and forth at the bloody room.

"So it seems," Shanti said hoarsely.

An explosion rocked the temple. My eyes flew to the window. A starfighter swooped low and opened fire at our home.

"We have to go! Now!" Master Ti said, taking Shanti's arm. She didn't fight. Luminara stood up slowly and gathered Jiam and Eve close to her. I noticed that Ahsoka had Zett draped over her shoulders. We left the temple in a tight knot, and as soon as we were outside, the fresh air seemed to rejuvenate my lungs.

Until I saw them standing about twenty meters from the temple's entrance, lightsabers out. Tenebris was at the front. How had she landed on Teth without us noticing?

"You thought I would give up just because you killed my master?" the Sith sneered. She raised her lightsaber in the Makashi salute. "You were wrong." Her small force of Jedi under her control moved as one, and my mind struggled to catch up with what I was seeing. My reflexes saved me from losing an arm to Master Choi's upward diagonal strike. I shoved him away with the force, his small body making it easy.

Shanti and Tenebris prowled around each other. Shanti unsheathed both sides of her saberstaff with a flourish. A small smile decorated her face, a smile that held back a wall of anger so powerful it shocked me. But a smile that preceded fury, fury so dark it should have completely overtaken my friend a long time ago. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"En gaurde, Sith," she purred, a dark rumble, returning Tenebris' earlier salute. Her lips were raised, but the expression was far from a smile. So much anger…Her voice was dangerous. It was like watching Mace Windu use Vaapad, controlled chaos. But Shanti had never been trained in Vaapad…

With an inhuman snarl, Tenebris flew across the ground and heat was on. And then I had to look away, because Master Choi had almost taken off my head and I didn't realize my back was so flexible.

"Master Choi, listen to me," I said. "I know you and Bultar were friends, but you have to fight her. She's in your head and she's making you do things I know you don't want to do."

I caught a flash of Kina Ha and Aayla trading blows as I jumped over a slash at my ankles, and Luminara and Tann as well. Their battle had shifted into unarmed combat, as I noticed both lightsabers on the ground. Luminara would win. She was more skilled than Tann in every area.

Master Choi said nothing, and I noticed his aura was a lot like Zett's. God, if she had destroyed him like she did Zett and Boba…I would kill her.

Obi-wan was frantically dodging Irka's swipes. She had both her Shoto and his lightsaber, though how she had gotten a hold of that, I wasn't sure. Damn, why did Shanti have to get bored and teach Irka Jar'Kai?

I sidestepped a powerful swipe that would have chopped me in two neat vertical halves. I should pay more attention to my own battle instead of everyone else's…

How could Tenebris control so many at once, and so neatly? She must have gotten more powerful…her mind control was frightening. Bultar was gone; all that was left was Tenebris. Their battle was so intense…neither would stop until the other was a bloody mess in the dust.

Bultar raised her saber in an overhand chop, and cut Shanti's saber staff in half. With a spark, both sides went out. My heart froze for a moment, until I saw Scout streak over and join Shanti. Scout was an expert in hand-to-hand combat, more so than Tenebris. She would be fine.

And suddenly they started backing off. Bultar had abandoned Shanti and was standing on the walkway to her ship, and Aayla, who had Ahsoka in a headlock and was dragging the young knight, was almost to her. And then something heavy struck me in the head. I spun around, seeing a pair of bright blue eyes before I was struck again and everything fell away.


	22. Chap 22 SS

Scout and I were winning, so she ran away. And then Aayla had grabbed Ahsoka, and they were all on Tenebris' ship, and it was shooting at us. And my lightsaber had been destroyed.

"Scatter!" Master Ti yelled. "Into the woods! The ship cannot follow us there!" My heart was pumping, my breath coming in labored gasps. Yet I felt oddly emotionless, like I had just used Shi'chro. The fire that had been burning in me when I fought Tenebris just a few minutes ago was gone.

Obi-wan held Olee in his arms. Irka had hit her in the head twice with the blunt hilt of her saber, a technique she had stolen from Luminara, and Starstone was out cold. She had also taken Obi-wan's lightsaber. It was exactly like Order 66 all over again, when everything we cherished was overthrown so quickly.

Luminara made it into the woods just ahead of me. She was carrying Jiam. Suddenly Shaak halted and Obi-Wan bumped into her back.

"Where is Eve?" Shaak snapped.

"I don't know! I didn't see her follow us!" Scout gasped. "I know that Tenebris grabbed Zett, but I didn't see what happened to Eve."

"We cannot go back into the open," Obi-wan said. He put a hand on my shoulder. "I imagine she probably got separated from us during the commotion. Can you sense her?"

I didn't want to know, I didn't want to know, I don't want to know…

"Master Choi grabbed her and dragged her on the ship along with Ahsoka," Luminara said, her voice shaking.

"What about Leia?" Shaak asked.

"I'm right here," a soft voice said from somewhere up in the trees. Leia dropped down in front of me, holding a large bag. "I met Naria as we were running away, and she told me that she took this from Tann. She was trying to take them." She handed the bag to me. I opened it, and was faced with the eight lightsabers we had kept in the Jedi Hall.

"This is good," Shaak said. "Obi-wan and Shanti both lost their weapons." She reached into the bag and took out Master Gallia's lightsaber, and then Count Dooku's lightsaber. She gently took my broken saberstaff from me. I felt empty. I had owned a saberstaff for ten years, but it still wasn't really my thing. Even so, it had a place in my heart as a trusty weapon.

"Dooku is rolling in his grave," Obi-wan said with a dry chuckle.

Shaak sat down and spread the two pieces of my now useless saber staff on the ground. She slid open the compartment that held the Sith crystal in the curved hilt and took it out, placing it on the ground. Then she opened the two compartments on the ruined weapon. One of the crystals had been destroyed, but its twin was still intact. She put it in the hilt of Dooku's saber and ignited it, twirling the now blue blade in a few Makashi flourishes.

"This is the second time you've had to get a new saber," Master Ti said, clipping both sabers to my belt. Did she know I felt numb, frozen? "You certainly have a habit of losing them." I chuckled softly, forcing it.

"Well, I need to be in top form if I want to defeat Tenebris once and for all, and we all know that a saberstaff just doesn't cut it for me." I sounded flat. Dead.

Obi-Wan rifled through the bag and ended up choosing Ki-Adi-Mundi's lightsaber. "Thank you, Leia, for keeping these weapons from leaving Teth," he said. My Padawan smiled.

"I'm just glad I could help."

"Yes, well done, Leia," Luminara praised her. "Now. We need to get to the fighters and catch up to them. The only way to break Tenebris' mind control is to kill her."  
"Let's not kill any of the others, though," Obi-Wan put in.

"Yes, they are innocent," Shaak agreed.

"Let's go, then. We can slip back to the temple, grab the starfighters, and get this under control." I stood up and started walking, my new sabers clipped to my belt, but a hand caught my elbow.

"Master Stefan, may I have a word?" I turned to meet the huge pools of blue that rested in the head of Master Ha.

"Of course," I said. The Kaminoan bowed her head.

"I am…I am sorry," she whispered. "I did not mean for things to happen as they did. I only meant that your daughter should be shown what she did was wrong…Not that…I am so sorry."

And reality came crashing down. Fay was dead. My daughter, my baby girl, who I loved, was gone. My friend had cut her head off. Clean off. Her headless body still lay in the infirmary.

I was crying. Shaak took my arm, and started pulling me gently back towards the temple. Eyes to the sky, I could see through the tears that the Sith's ship was gone. And Eve with it.

"I am a failure as a parent," my voice said. "I let this happen."

"No, you aren't a failure, mom," Jiam said. His blue eyes were shining with unshed tears, his teeth snagged in his lower lip in an attempt to keep them in. "Eve and Fay would want you to keep up hope, right?"

Tears spilled over. I couldn't help it. I was still being pulled, and then we were back at the temple, and Luminara pushed me into the gunner seat of a fighter, and Jiam jumped in on my lap, and she smiled and told me not to give up hope. And I closed my eyes, and slept.


	23. Chap 23 LU

"It's time to go!" Shaak said through the intercom. "Wake up Shanti!" We had found the Sith. They had stolen one of the Mandalorian cruisers that made up our fleet and had opened fire on us, but our smaller fighters and gunships easily outmaneuvered them and we boarded.

"You are going to stay here," I said to Jiam firmly. "Leia is staying too. If trouble comes, take the fighters and go. Leia knows how to pilot them." I lifted Jiam out of the gunner seat and shook Shanti. The stress of all the things that had occurred must have been too much. I wished I didn't have to wake her.

"Are we there?" She asked groggily, coming out of sleep slowly.

"Yes," I said. She jumped out of the gunner seat and put her hands on her lightsabers.

"You look much calmer now," Obi-wan remarked as we prepared to attack.

"Master Fay visited me while I slept. She promised me she would take care of my daughter, and told me not to worry." Her expression was grim. "I'm going to kill Tenebris."

She said it as a statement, no different from how one would say 'I'm going to walk down to the corner store'. No malice, just a simple truth.

"If you must, then you will," Shaak said. "Let's go." I shot one look at Jiam over my shoulder, and he nodded. He would stay put. Good boy.

We turned and hurried to find Tenebris. She was torturing Ahsoka, we could feel her pain. Eve was scared, but unharmed.

We ran into Master Choi first. He was blank, and I could tell Tenebris had a strong hold on his mind. Obi-wan stayed back to fight him.

We continued, and met Aayla. Her aura was dark. Had she really…fallen? She didn't feel blank like Master Choi did. Starstone stayed back to fight her, sending us off with a wink.

Shanti cut through a wall that just so happened to be in our way, and we found ourselves in a room that was dimly lit. Eve sat in a box that looked like it was made of ray shields, eyes darting back forth, red from crying. Ahsoka had both arms tied to the back wall and looked to be meditating. Irka was standing stiff as a board against the wall, and Tenebris stood in front of her, her lightsaber held to her throat. I flung the Sith away from Irka. She landed on her feet and smiled.

"You got here much faster than I thought you would." Shanti took out her two lightsabers and I saw her slide naturally into the Jar'kai opening stance. She was made for two lightsabers, and it was good to see her with them again.

A crash sounded behind us and Olee and Aayla staggered into the room, locked in a fight to the death of Djem So and Ataru, a fight that was far too intense for my liking.

Tann, who had been at the back of the room, stepped forward and engaged me. My heart clenched. I knew I could defeat her without much difficulty, but she looked so sad…she had killed my daughter, her apprentice, and yet, I could not hate her. Tears streaked her cheeks. And then I was hit with the truth full-force. She was not actually under the control of Tenebris, she had fallen on her own. So had Aayla. Why?

She struck at my head, her movements sloppy. She was stricken with grief. What has caused this sudden sadness?

"Intensified emotion," Tann said blankly. "Aayla was feeling forgotten. Useless. Tenebrus just helped her realize that. The Sith just helped me see that I had messed up in Fay's training, and I had to right the wrong I had done."

"So you killed her to prevent her from becoming a Sith, and then you embrace the darkness yourself?" I asked, disarming her with the whirling motion around her blade. The pink streak flew towards the ceiling and I caught it. I could not use it; I am useless when it comes to Jar'Kai.

"Tann, you were manipulated. You can release your hatred, and end this childish tantrum you are throwing," I said. I did not want to hurt my apprentice…Force, no.

A hand yanked both lightsabers away from me. The tiny form of Master Choi jumped over me in an arch, tossing her pink blade back to Tann and keeping possession of both his own and mine. I ducked as the Aleen came at me with both blades, eyes blank, moving like a robot. I dodged frantically, and then I felt a pain in my shoulder. A pink rod of light extended from my left shoulder. I heard someone scream. Maybe it was me. I do not know.


	24. Chap 24 ST

My body moved without my telling it to do so, and then Master Choi was on the ground with his head cut off and Tann was shivering against the wall. She spun and ran from the room, and I bent down next to Luminara. She had collapsed after Tann had withdrawn her lightsaber from her shoulder. It was not a fatal wound, thank the force, and it had burned shut, but it must hurt more than any other wound Luminara had ever sustained. I started healing it. My healing powers are nothing compared to Irka's or Master Saa's, but I could at least do something.

Shanti was still fighting with Tenebris, who was on the defensive. She had felt Luminara's pain and almost lost concentration, but I had yelled to her that I would take care of her wife. I had not wanted to kill anyone…much less Master Choi. And where was Obi-Wan? He had remained behind to deal with Master Choi.

Tann was back at me, fighting with her pink lightsaber again and crying. I seized Luminara's lightsaber with the force, hoping she would not mind.

"Tann, you will drop your weapon and surrender to me now," I said, calling up every ounce of strength in me. Tann stopped her attack and looked confused. Her body was twitching. It was my will against Tenebris' now. The Sith Lady was keeping her in the darkness and I had no choice but to shake her off.

Tenebris paused and used the force to fling Shanti away from her. She hit the wall not far from Ahsoka, slid to the ground, and groaned. A burst of the dark side almost broke my concentration.

Aayla tried to get away from Olee, but the black haired Jedi would not let her. And then I had no choice but to break my concentration, because Ahsoka and Scout had both attacked me from behind. I ducked and picked up Luminara, and saw Shanti and Obi-wan dueling Zett and Tenebris side-by-side. They followed me as I fled, a sudden panic overwhelming us all. We ran, and ran, and ran, until we found ourselves at our ships. Our allies gone enemies were close behind us, and I ran onboard the gunship, taking off as soon as I knew everyone was on board. Jiam barely made it on as the walkway closed. Scout, her eyes and countenance blank, started toward my starfighter, but in a sudden burst of power, Shanti imploded it.

"That could have gone better," Obi-wan said as we took off. Obi-wan, sarcastic till the end. I handed the controls over to Obi-wan and looked over Luminara. She was still conscious, though in a lot of pain. The wound was still burned shut, but I needed to start repairing the skin as soon as possible. I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the force, looking for the damaged cells and started stringing them back together. This might take a while.

"Where should we go now?" Shanti was asking. I could hear someone crying, probably Jiam.

"I don't know," Obi-wan admitted. "They've taken over Teth. Force knows what…what they'll do to everyone still there." I heard him sigh, and I could picture the look of defeat on his face. He was old. Humans lifespan was about half that of a Togruta. We were about the same age, yet I was only middle-aged. It was sad how that works.

"Blast it! They're still following us!" Obi-wan suddenly yelled, and jolted me out of the force. I could see the Mandalorian cruiser had caught up with us.

"They're activating the tractor beam!" Leia gasped. I felt another crippling burst of the dark side as the beam started to pull us in.

"What are we going to do?" Luminara whispered. Shanti came over and helped me move her to the back of the ship.

"You stay here with Jiam. We'll be back soon." She smiled. "Stay safe." And then the ship clunked down inside the cruiser. The door was chopped open within a second, and the darkness saturated the air.

"We're doomed," Leia said softly.


	25. Meanwhile

Millions of light-years away, on the planet Bakura, a scream split the night.

"Master! Master, wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Sha'kenchi'ia Nyetka shook her master's arm in an attempt to wake her. With a gasp, Depa Billaba sat up and rubbed her face.

"Thank you, Chia," she said, addressing her Padawan by the nickname that was much easier to pronounce than her full one. "Funny, that I should dream of them…"

"Dream of whom, Master?" The young chiss asked, perching precariously at the edge of her master's bed.

"Of Master Ti, and Obi-wan," the woman mused. She had not recognized the others in the dream.

Technically Depa had far outlived her lifespan, but the force coma she had spent the better part of eighty years in seemed to have stunted her ageing. She had awaked to find herself in the care of several creatures who claimed to be Jedi, asking her to join them. It had been painfully ironic that the only way she had survived had been succumbing to the dark side.

"Of who?" Her Padawan reiterated. Chia, at age eighteen, was still as curious as ever. She was quite childish despite her age and skill in Vaapad, which Depa had passed on in reverence of her old Master.

"Old friends, Chia. Just old friends." She touched her greater mark of illumination. She had tried to cut it away, so many years ago when she gave in to darkness, but it had come back. It had been the cause of great stress to her for months, until she finally relaxed. She finally stopped thinking of herself as a failure who survived things like Order 66 and Operation: Knightfall by accident. The mark had returned to her forehead for a reason.

"They're dead?" Chia asked,

"Probably." She scratched her head. "Well, it's possible Master Ti could still be alive. Togruta's have a much longer lifespan than humans."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Depa said. The tall Whipid K'kruhk stepped in, his huge body blocking out the light from the hallway. Aside from her, Celeste Morn, and Ikrit, he was the only one still left from the old Jedi Order who had been a master.

A few Jedi who had been young Padawans when the purge occurred still lived, such as Ekria and Drake Lo'gaan, as did the children and grandchildren of many Jedi Depa had known. Bant and Rune, the two Mon Calamari Jedi, were both dead, but they lived on in their daughter Kima Eerin and left a legacy as the first legally and openly married Jedi couple. What she had heard of as a short, unhappy relationship between Fable Astin and Jaalib Brandl had left Kotor Astin, a young man with prowess to rival that of his mother, and Mia Astin, a devote healer, to the Jedi order.

"I heard you scream. Are you alright?" he asked, putting one huge hairy hand over hers. Depa jolted back to the present.

"Yes, thank you. I was having a nightmare."

The master of the new Jedi order narrowed his eyes. "Just a nightmare, Depa?" He questioned.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"We both know that there are more Jedi out there. More than we have here, even though we are trying to unite them all and take Coruscant back. I dreamt of another Jedi order, this one headed by Master Ti, far away from us and many years behind. I dreamt that their entire order is in danger."

"I saw them fighting. They seemed upset and it looked like they were fighting a losing battle. I saw four or five beings…" she did her best to call back her dream, however unpleasant that was. A ship, outer space, a planet that was tinted purple, the dark side swallowing everything…"Master Ti, a very elderly looking Master Kenobi, and a couple I didn't know. A female Mirialian who had some kind of shoulder wound, a near-human who looked part Rattataki and was also female, and two children who were both human."

"The Mirialian had a dark lower lip and all her knuckle tattoos, didn't she?" K'kruhk said. Depa started.

"You dreamt of the same thing?"

"Yes. The Mirilian is Jedi master Luminara Unduli. I served with her during the clone wars. When she got married, I have no idea... The near-human is half Clawdite, though you were close. Her name is…Santi Steffen, I think. She was Master Ti's final apprentice. I do not know the children. Probably young force-sensitive's they found and trained."

"If they're in trouble, shouldn't we go help them?" Chia asked, her red eyes glowing in the darkness of Depa's room.

"We should," K'kruhk said.

"At-" Depa paused to look at her clock-"At three in the morning? K'kruhk, are you insane?"

"Maybe. But I know this: I will not let these other Jedi suffer without at least trying to help them. Wake the others. We must tell the leaders of the Rebellion where we are going and why, and we must leave soon. Chia, collect the other Padawans."

"Yes sir, Master K'kruhk!" The teenage chiss saluted him and scurried out of the room. Depa felt a slight headache coming on. Her Padawan and her oldest friend were always in cahoots, it seemed…

"Come on, Depa. You don't feel it? They _need _us," K'kruhk stressed. Depa sighed. She shooed him out of the room so she could change. And with that, the young Master of the new Jedi Order who was actually very old went to wake the rest of the Jedi.


	26. Chap 26 OS

We fought for our lives. Every day I look back on that battle, all I will be able to see is Shanti's two lightsabers everywhere at once, Shaak Ti weaving back and forth and taking on four opponents at the same time in a blur of orange and white, Obi-wan doing acrobatic tricks no man his age should be able to pull off, and Kina Ha's long arms flying about everywhere. Tenebris sat at the back of the hangar, in a meditative position. She probably couldn't control this many people and continue functioning herself. She was even making Eve fight…

I ducked under a swipe from a pink lightsaber at my head and parried a slash from a blue one at my waist. Tann's attacks were relentless, and in combination with Aayla's, I was having trouble.

Master Choi was dead, but Tenebris had made up for that loss by taking over Ahsoka and Scout's minds. The huge group was pushing us farther and farther back into the cruiser. I had a long cut on my left thigh that stung and made kicking nearly impossible. Shanti was faring better than any of us, fighting alongside her apprentice. Shaak and Obi-wan also fought back-to-back, and Kina and I fought alone.

I had never utilized so much acrobatics in a single fight in my life, not even when I took on seven commando droids, or when I took down the squadron of Droideka on Onderan with Master Trebor…I was tiring, and since there was two of them and one of me, they could last longer. Every time I started to gain the upper hand against Tann, Aayla would step in, and every time it looked like I might beat her, Tann would block my strike. I had never fought such an intense battle, ever. It took every scrap of focus in me not to lose a limb.

I had given up on reasoning Aayla and Tann back to the light long ago. The presence of Tenebris, so dark and overpowering, was drowning the light and smothering me. My back thunked against a wall. Suddenly a blur of orange flew over me and I felt a huge disturbance in the force. Just as Master Ti landed, coming out of her long, arching flip, Irka spun. Obi-wan's lightsaber, which she still had, found its mark in the center of its owner's chest. He didn't even gasp, his body vanished. His cloak fell to the ground in a pile. There was no scream, no gasp, and no whispered goodbyes. The only remnants of him was Ki-Adi-Mundi's lightsaber landing with a _plink _in the center of his robes.

"OBI-WAN!" Shaak screamed, his name soon echoed by Shanti and myself. Suddenly a powerful force push shoved me inside an open door to my left. Shaak followed me, as did Leia and Shanti. Kina jumped in and slammed the door, stabbing the lock and permanently taking it out of commission.

"We have to find a place where we can hide," the kaminoan said. "I have our last resort."

"And what is that?" Shaak asked, raising her head. There were tears in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. Leia was shaking.

"We must create a wall of light, to drive away the darkness that threatens to swallow us," the ancient Jedi said. "I've done it once before. I and a few other Jedi used this technique to cleanse a corrupt planet many years ago."

A lightsaber appeared through the metal of the door. I looked around. We were in…the engine room?

"This way," Shanti said. She pointed to a balcony far up the wall. She leaped and pushed off the opposite wall, backflipping and landing on the balcony. Shaak followed her, and I made sure Leia made it up before I followed. A door awaited us, and we found the safe room of the cruiser. The walls were so thick, thicker than a lightsaber was long. It would take some time to cut into this room. I put out the lock with my saber.

"So how do we do this?" Leia asked. The safe room was dimly lit, casting an eerie red glow over everything. Darkness and evil surrounded us. This truly was our last resort.

"We make a circle. We put everything we have into the space between us. Every piece of us. All the love, compassion, every positive feeling. It may well kill us all."

Leia gulped. To be so young, and to be told she was probably about to die. Shanti bent down and put her hand on her apprentice's shoulder.

"Leia, I just want you to know that I am so proud of you. And your father would be proud as well. You have become quite the young Jedi." She stood again, and sheathed her lightsabers.

"We need to start now," Kina said. I closed my eyes and sat down, immersing myself in the force. Outside it was dark, but here, there would always be light. Always. I searched myself for love, found it, and put it out. From behind my eyelids I could see a growing light, but I did not dare break my concentration to look at it.

All my love for my master, for my fellow Jedi, I called up. For my apprentice Jiam, for my favorite foods, for my childhood crush, all the love I felt, I converted it into pure, loving light.

_Luminara, I love you…Master Cartiér, you taught me everything…Kras'Dok, I did as you said, master…Naria, you're my best friend…Dad, Mom, I love you…. Jiam, Eve, I am so proud to be your mother, and I love you too…Adi, you were my conscious, I thank you for your support…Shaak, you were the mother I never had..._

I could hear the loving thoughts of the others. The light was steadily growing, and emotion was slowly draining from me. All I could feel was peace, and a roaring silence that blocked out everything else in existence, and the presences of Leia, and Master Ti, and Kina, and Shanti, so huge and all-encompassing…the light was conquering everything, swallowing screams of pain, gobbling up the darkness like a hungry animal.

The peace was so huge, it was everywhere, imbued with light that came with love, saturating the minds of those outside who were controlled by one so dark, but even she could not escape the light.

_All creatures of darkness' links to the force will be cut off and then restored when they are cleansed,_ I heard Kina say, from someplace far away that was right beside my ear.

_Everything is one, because everything is light,_ Shaak said, and I could see her smiling.

_We must create a wall of light…_Shanti murmured…

_…Either to create or to destroy, it does not matter,_ I finished. I put forward everything I had.

And I felt nothing at all.


	27. Chap 27 DB

_A/N: I apologize for the huge wait. This chapter took a loooooong time._

* * *

The power of the outburst of light was so strong it knocked every Jedi in the room off their feet. Well, except K'Kruhk, who seized the wall and managed to keep his feet under him. My eyes were crossed, my head throbbed. So much light…where had it come from?

"What in Ghan's name was _that_?" Celeste Mourn asked after a moment, the tall black-haired human pulling herself to her feet dizzily.

"It felt like an explosion of light," Maris Brood said. The pale Zabrak rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself onto her knees. I felt so blinded I couldn't orient myself…which way was up again?

"I think we can all see that, but where did it come from?" Chase Piru put in, running her fingers through her dark brown ponytail as she propped herself up against a wall.

"We are too late," Drakka Judarrl said, still laying face-down on the ground. "The Jedi we were going to save have already put their final plan into action.

"But they are not dead!" Noirah Na protested. "I know we would have sensed it if they perished!"

I forced myself to my feet, the lines of hyperspace outside our ship making me even dizzier. I held out my hand to Drakka, and the Zabrak knight took it, allowing herself to be hauled up. Slowly but surely the other Jedi who had been laid flat by the flare of light rose.

"Erm, excuse me?" Our pilot said. My head whipped around, and I immediately regretted it as the world spun. I would have fallen if Drakka had not caught me. I shot the Zabrak an appreciative look, which she returned with her notorious smirk.

"What is it, captain?" I asked, dizzily collecting my bearings.

"We're coming out of hyperspace, M'am."

And so we were. The coordinates we had found through the force had taken us close to Teth, which was about as far from Bakura as one could get in the known galaxy. It had taken some time to get there, and we had to stop for more fuel three times. Luckily there were plenty of Rebel outposts along the way. Ron Organa had been confused when we told him we would be gone for a while, but the leader of the rebellion had accepted it after K'kruhk had explained. More Jedi was always a good thing, he said. Go get em'.

Before us sat a Mandalorian cruiser that was so saturated with the light side it was hard for me to look at. I opened communications with them, hoping Noirah was right. But with so much light, I was force blind…

"Mandalorian Cruiser #5392, this is Jedi Master Depa Billaba requesting permission to board your vessel," I said into the comlink.

No response. My heart skipped a beat.

"This is unsettling," Maris said, coming to stand beside me.

"It certainly is," K'kruhk agreed. "Unnerving."

"Mandalorian Cruiser #5392, do you copy? This is Jedi Master Depa Billaba requesting permission to board-"

"Jedi…master…who?" A very young-sounding female voice said at the other end of the comlink. Her voice was shaking and very weak. She spoke basic with a faint accent I didn't recognize.

"Jedi Master Depa Billaba," I reiterated. "Who am I speaking to?"

"Uh…My name is Eve Unduli…" the voice responded.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Luminara Unduli, would you?" K'kruhk interjected.

"Yeah…she's my other mom…" the weak voice responded. There was suddenly a scream.

"Miss Unduli? What was that?" Maris asked, her eyes gone wide with panic.

"I think she's…having a nightmare…" Eve responded. "You can…come onboard…if you want. I'm the only one…awake…I think. It suddenly got so dark and I couldn't control my body, but _she _could," the young voice spoke the word 'she' with as much hatred as such a sweet voice could muster. "And then I was doing things I didn't want to do, and then Mom was crying, and then it got so light and everything hurt…"

"Miss Unduli, how old are you?" I asked. She sounded so painfully young…

"I'm…eleven…standard years, Master," she answered.

"Well, we're boarding your ship at dock number eight. Could you meet us there?"

A burst of interference came from the comlink, followed by a faint "No…can't move…hurts…"

"She's injured!" Drakka said. "We have to go help her at once! She's just a child!"

"We're boarding the cruiser," our pilot said. Our gunship set down, and the light still hadn't faded. It was a lot less intense, though. My head didn't hurt anymore.

"Where are you, Eve?" Drakka asked, taking the com from me. At first I bristled; she had never been good as asking. Then I relaxed and dropped it.

"I don't know…somewhere on the cruiser," the faint voice responded. "But mom is in the engine room…So is Master…Ti…and Master Ha…and L-Leia."

"Master Ti is here!" Ikrit whispered in excitement, jumping from the gunship onto my shoulder. "I don't know who the other two are, but Master Ti's a legend!"

"Yeah…she is…" Eve said, her voice getting fainter. Then another burst of static came from the com, and the line shut off.

"Miss Unduli? Miss Unduli?" Drakka said into the com. As expected, there was no reply.

"It looks like her com was destroyed," K'kruhk said.

"She said someone was in the engine room," Noirah put in.

"Alright. Depa, you will lead Maris, Drakka, and Ikrit to the engine room. I will take the rest of the Jedi and search the cruiser." K'kruhk took charge, and I ran through the plans of a Mandalorian cruiser in my head. The engine room would be towards the bottom…we left the hangar, Ikrit clinging desperately to my shoulder, his fur turning a little dark than usual. He was upset. The two Zabraks followed me closely, seeing as neither of them knew how a Mandalorian cruiser was laid out.

We had to pass through another hangar in order to get to the engine room. A republic style gunship was there, something I hadn't laid eyes on in so long…Ah, nostalgia.

"There's someone in there!" Maris cried. At first I wondered how she could sense anything when there was so much light, but the presence in the gunship was very distinct. A Jedi. In pain.

Maris cut open the bottom of the gunship and jumped inside recklessly. I sighed and followed her. At least I didn't sense any trouble. Drakka took up the rear.

Inside the ship, at the very back, lay a Mirilian I recognized from my dream. Luminaria, K'kruhk had said her name was. A young boy who looked very much like her sat beside her. As we entered, he unsheathed a green lightsaber and held it up, looking to protect the unconscious Mirilian who was probably his mother.

"Who are you?" He demanded. He spoke perfect basic, but again with that faint accent I had heard in Eve's voice. He rose slowly to his feet, and as he did, I noticed that Luminaria did indeed have a shoulder wound.

"She's wounded! We need to help her now! Out of the way, kid!" Drakka shoved the boy aside, easily taking his lightsaber. She pulled away the Mirialians black robe to look at the hole that went straight through her shoulder.

"Don't touch her!" The boy said, jumping at Drakka with his bare fists. He couldn't have been older than twelve. I caught him gently in midair and set him down.

"We are friends, child. We will not hurt you, or her." I did my best to sound soothing. Drakka handed him back his lightsaber as she began cleaning the wound. As she did, the woman stirred and woke. Crystal blue eyes snapped open, alarm flaring in their depths. She tried to stand up, her uninjured hand reaching for her lightsaber. Maris caught it.

"We are here to help you, friend," she said soothingly. The woman relaxed.

"You're Jedi Master Luminaria Undali, right?" I said, sitting down next to the woman's head.

"Luminara Unduli," she corrected me, her voice bearing a faint Miralian accent. Huh. So I'd remembered it wrong. She twitched as Drakka extracted the last chunk of burnt flesh from her shoulder and started wrapping it. "And who are you?" Normally we could sense each other's identities, but the light was so blinding I could barely see two feet past my own nose when I looked through the force.

"I am Depa Billaba, Master of the Jedi order. This is Jedi Master Drakka Judarrl and Jedi Master Maris Brood. We got into contact with a child named Eve on this ship."

"Was she alright?" She gasped, concerned.

"She said she was in pain," Drakka said. "Your daughter?"

"It is a very long story," Luminara said. "And for the record, I think we are all in pain."

"'All'?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. 'All' hints at 'more than two'. "How many of you are there?" Luminara frowned, sadness clouding her eyes.

"Before…there were seventeen of us…Then Bultar was seduced by darkness. Then Fay was…was killed. And not that long ago I sensed Master Choi and Master…Kenobi…die. Then there was so much light I could no longer see." Tears beaded at the corners of her eyes. "I do not know how many there are now."

"The other Jedi are searching the cruiser. Do you know where any of the other Jedi are located?" I asked.

"No…there was a big fight going on two hangars over. Some might still be there, if it is even over…" She took a deep breath in as Drakka finished wrapping her wound.

"Who attacked you?" I asked. I reached out and helped Luminara up into a sitting position. She rubbed the sides of her face with her uninjured arm.

"It is a very, very long story, Master Billaba, but to make a long story short, most of our Jedi allies were taken over by a Sith Lady who excels in mind control. Not including myself and the children, four of us escaped her. We were attacked by our friends, our fellow Jedi. I was injured and my wife told me to stay here, and told Jiam to as well."

Hmm, so she was married. Interesting. That meant the children had to be adopted. Ikrit jumped off my shoulder and sat next to her head.

"Can you walk, Master Unduli?" He asked. She grimaced, nodded. She got to her feet slowly, with her son-Jiam? I don't know, I'm bad with names- and Drakka helping her.

"Maris is going to take you and your son back to our gunship, alright? The rest of us will go and look for the rest of your Jedi." Maris took Luminara's unhurt arm and helped her out of the cruiser, the boy following them.

"Thank you," Luminara said over her shoulder as they left the hangar. I turned to Ikrit and Drakka.

"Let's keep moving." We left the hangar to go two hangars down, to where she said there had been a fight. And there certainly had been, a huge one, from the looks of it. Lightsaber cuts were everywhere in the pristine white hangar, as well as a Jedi robe that someone probably cast off to increase mobility, and a single black-haired woman laying a crumpled heap at the head of the room. I ran to her. She seemed to be out cold, but she had a pulse. She seemed vaguely familiar from somewhere, but where, I could not define. She didn't seem to be injured, just unconscious. I could tell she was a Jedi from the lightsaber strapped to her belt.

Drakka shook her gently. "Excuse me, miss?" She said. Her eyes opened slowly. They were brown. Her hands traveled slowly to her face, rubbing her eyes.

"Where…am I?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse.

"You're in a Mandalorian cruiser above the planet Teth," I answered. "Don't worry, you're safe now." Suddenly her eyes went so wide I thought they might fall out of their sockets and she let out a sob, covering her face with her hands.

"Miss, what's wrong?" Ikrit asked, jumping from my shoulder to hers.

"Master Ikrit…You don't know me, but I used to admire you so…you were such an advocate for peace…my role model."

"What's your name, friend?" he asked. She dropped her hands away from her face and gave a weak, wry smile.

"Well, it isn't 'friend'. I'm…Bultar Swan…yeah, that's it. I was apprenticed to Micah Giett and then, later, Plo Koon." She let out another wretched sob. "Force, why didn't she kill me!? Why!?" She dug her fingernails into her palms.

"Why didn't who kill you, Bultar?"

"Shanti…she should have." Who in the name of the force was Shanti?

"Look, you're suffering from the aftereffects of a large battle, and you aren't thinking clearly." Ikrit smiled at her. "Come with us, and we'll find the rest of your group." She stood up shakily, stretching out long legs.

"That's it," Ikrit said, and jumped to her shoulder. She looked surprised and he shrugged. "What? It's easier than walking. You humanoids have such long legs and I can't keep up." A faint smile lit up her face, and then it fell away.

"Do you know where anyone else is, Master Swan?" I asked.

"In the engine room and the safe room…" she murmured. "Force, this is all my fault…" I sighed. She would probably be hysterical for the next few hours until she calmed down and the force dimmed, so we could see again. We still hadn't figured out what caused so much light.

It was a short walk to the engine room. Bultar did not go inside; she sunk to her knees just outside the door and told us to go inside without her. Ikrit jumped off her shoulder and padded inside in front of Drakka and I. A large hole was cut in the door, and when I got inside, I saw that the lock had been completely destroyed. Someone had tried to hide in there.

Inside lay two Jedi sprawled out on the ground. A young blond human who held an unsheathed blue lightsaber in her hand and a Togruta who looked a little younger, with a green lightsaber in one orange hand and a yellow shoto in the other, lay next to each other not far from the engine. Above us, high on a balcony, I saw several other shapes. That was probably where the safe room was located. Safe rooms were installed in most large cruisers to protect people of importance should the ship fall under attack. They were almost impossible to break into.

I scooped up Ikrit, who was closing the two unconscious knight's sabers, and leaped up onto the balcony, Drakka behind me. A young man lay frighteningly close to the edge, gripping a sheathed lightsaber tightly. Not far from him a blond woman lay slumped against the door of the safe room, a blue lightsaber embedded in the thick metal. She had been trying to cut her way into the safe room. Not far from her, a pair of Rutian Twi'leks were tangled together in a heap. All the creatures on the balcony were cut and bruised.

"The people who attacked them must be in the safe room," Drakka reasoned. I nodded and removed the blond Mandalorian's lightsaber, closing it and putting in her lap. Ikrit was checking the Twi'leks.

"They are all alive," he reported. I took out my own lightsaber and started cutting where the Mandalorian had finished. She had been pretty close to getting through the first layer of metal. I cut through this one and the second layer easily, and stepped inside. I expected to find Sith, ready to attack and was sure I was prepared to defend myself.

"Master Ti!" Ikrit exclaimed, jumping over to where an adult Togruta lay in a heap. The half-clawdite I had seen in my dream was there, her arms wrapped around herself as if she was cold. Damn, her fingers were long. A young human with short brown hair and a Padawan braid lay not far from her, her chest raising and falling steadily. A human female with black hair was in the corner leaning against a wall, her orange and brown robes torn. A blue kaminoan laid face-down in the middle of the room.

"_These _are the Sith?" Drakka exclaimed, poking the Kaminoan with her foot.

"They all have vital signs, Depa," Ikrit said. "Do you think that the girl over there could be Eve?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"No, that's Leia," a soft voice said from behind me. "I'm Eve." I turned around to face the most eerie looking child I had ever seen. She had snow-white hair that fell to just past her chin and piercing yellow eyes. Her build was thin, with narrow shoulders and skinny arms. A Padawan braid with yellow beads braided into it fell next to her right cheek. Her stance was straight, and she had a white-hilted lightsaber at her waist. She pointed to the Jedi on the ground in succession.

"That's my mom. Her name is Jedi Master Shanti Stefan Unduli. That's Leia Organa. That's Jedi Master Kina Ha and Jedi Master Olee Starstone. I can see you already know Master Ti."

"We heard that Master Kenobi was here too. Where is he?" I asked. She frowned.

"He is dead." She spoke with next to no emotion, as if she didn't care. I sighed. So much for no casualties…

"Where is the Sith that attacked you?" I asked, bending down to her level so I could check her for wounds. She had a long, faint burn on her side, but that was it.

Eve laughed, a dark sound that was more angry than happy. "She's outside this room."

"Do you mean Bultar, child?" Drakka asked suspiciously.

"Tenebris, not Bultar. She betrayed us. She killed my sister." Her hands curled into fists. I turned away from her. The child gave me an uneasy feeling. We would get to the bottom of this when the adults woke.

Drakka was shaking Master Ti gently. Slowly the Togruta opened her eyes, the black orbs misty and confused. She had several cuts on her face.

"Where…where am I?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jedi Master Drakka Judarrl, Master Ti," she answered. Master Ti rubbed her lekku.

"It is over, then?" she whispered hopefully. "We won? Or am I dead?"

"You are very much alive, and it looks like you won," I replied. "Do you remember me, Master Ti?" I hoped she did. She squinted at my face, her expression disbelieving.

"Depa Billaba?" she said after a moment. "You should be dead. Your lifespan should not have been this long, especially with all the jumble from the time changes…" she digressed into what sounded like nonsense to me.

"From what we understand, you were attacked by a Sith who used mind control to take over most of the Jedi in your group," Ikrit said. Master Ti nodded.

"From whom did you hear this?"

"A Mirialian we met in Hangar twelve. Luminara, I think," I responded.

"So Luminara made it out…did she have a child with her?"

"Yes, a little boy."

"Good." She closed her deep black eyes. Then she snapped them open again, as if electrocuted. She practically jumped over Ikrit and knelt next to the half-human.

"Shanti, wake up!" she whispered, shaking her. "Get up, my dear. We won." She opened her eyes very, very slowly. They were huge and green.

"We…we did it?" she asked hoarsely. "The darkness is all gone?"

"Yes." The changeling sat up slowly and embraced the Togruta. I noticed she had two lightsabers at her belt, one of a relatively standard design, and the other with a curved hilt that must have made some seriously complex hand maneuvers possible. We had thought the art of Jar'Kai had been lost because no Master who used it had survived the dark times, but I could tell that wasn't true anymore. Come to think of it, the Mandalorian who had been cutting her way into the safe room had a second saber at her belt as well. Thank the force.

"Who is this?" she asked, looking at me. I knelt down and extended my hand.

"Jedi Master Depa Billaba, at your service." She narrowed those massive green eyes at me.

"Depa Billaba? Master Windu's Padawan who was in a coma for as long as I can remember?"

"The one and only." I had prepared myself for this response just in case one of the older Jedi knew me.

She got to her feet slowly and walked over to where the black haired Jedi was slumped against the wall. "Olee?" she bent down and took her shoulders, and then jerked away if she had been burnt.

"What is it?" Master Ti asked.

"She's gone!" Shanti gasped, taking a step backwards and tripping over the kaminoan. "So is Master Ha!"

"Force, no," Master Ti mumbled, bending down to touch the shoulder of the Kaminoan. She bit her lip, sharp meat-eating Togruta teeth piercing the skin. For the first time the two of them noticed eve standing at the entrance. Shanti turned to her daughter.

"Eve, I'm so glad to see you're alright," she said, rushing forward to hug the child. The eerie girl returned the hug, burying her face in her mother's shoulder.

A thump from behind me made me spin around. Without the force, I felt jumpy. But it was just K'kruhk, who was joined by the younger Togruta knight and Noirah. The togruta knelt down by the boy who was close to the edge and moved him away, cradling his face and biting back tears.

"He's alive," I informed her.

"I know," was her only response. Were all the Jedi here depressed, melancholy nutcases?

"Luminara," Shanti suddenly demanded. "We left her in the hangar. She was wounded. Is she alright?" Seeing as they had the same last name, I could guess that they were probably married. I'd have to get all the details later.

"She is fine. One of our healers is tending to her as we speak," Drakka said. Shanti visibly relaxed.

"I cannot thank you enough, Master Billaba, uh…" she looked to Drakka. "Your name escaped me, I'm sorry."

"Just call me Drakka," she said.

"Thank you, all of you," Shanti repeated. She stepped past me, out on to the balcony and dipped her head to K'kruhk.

"Master K'kruhk, I knew it. I sensed a long, long time ago that you were alive, and I was right." She continued past him to kneel next to the young knight being held by the young Togruta.

"Who's he?" I whispered to Master Ti.

"Zett Jukassa, her former Padawan," Master Ti answered with sad eyes. "Darth Tenebris destroyed his mind."

"Tell me, is Darth Tenebris the Sith that attacked you?"

"Yes."

"Is she also known as Bultar Swan?"

"That was her name as a Jedi, before she succumbed to the dark."

"She seems to have been redeemed. I suppose the sudden painful burst of light was your doing?"

She shrugged just a little. "It was Master Ha's idea…our last resort, she called it…" she turned to look at the limp body of the Kaminoan, and I realized her spirit had departed. An empty shell lay there on the floor, and one also leaned against the wall. The black haired woman was gone too.

"They immersed themselves so deeply in the force they lost themselves," Shaak said. "Have you ever heard of a wall of light? The Jedi used them mostly during the Sith Wars."

What? I had heard of walls of light, of course, but I had never heard of anyone but experienced Jedi masters using them successfully. I could see that Master Ha and Master Ti were experienced enough, but the black haired woman and Shanti couldn't be…

"So that is how you purged the darkness," K'kruhk said. Master Ti embraced him.

"It is so good to see you alive, old friend," he said.

"You as well," she agreed. "We all thought you died on Hypori."

"I barely lived," he admitted. "Whipid healing trances can do anything, I swear."

"Scout is awake too," the younger Togruta said quietly. "But she's hurt. Someone should get a healer to her."

"Wake up, Irka," Shanti growled, stalking over the blond Mandalorian. She seized her roughly by the shoulders and shook her. As soon as her eyes opened, Shanti pointed. "Scout is down there, and she needs healing, so get down there." With a confused look in her bleary blue eyes, she vanished off the edge of the platform.

"Now what?" Shaak asked, looking down at Irka tending to Scout.

"We would like to invite you to join our Jedi order based on the planet Bakura, and a part of the Rebellion," K'kruhk said.

"And the Rebellion is…what?" Shanti asked, coming to join us.

"Those who seek to overthrow the empire and the Sith," I explained. Shaak and Shanti exchanged a look.

"We will have to talk with the others…whatever others are left," Shanti mumbled.

"We understand," Ikrit said, jumping back up onto my shoulder. "It's a tough decision."

Shanti turned and leaped off the platform, carrying the empty shell of the black-haired woman. I noticed someone had woke the young girl-Leia- and the Padawan followed Shanti off the platform. Shaak lifted the Kaminoan with the force and jumped off. I picked up the limp body of the older Twi'lek. K'kruhk did the same for the younger one. Eve followed tacitly, and lastly the young Togruta jumped down, carrying the boy's limp body. Irka and the blond knight-Scout, they had called her-stood by the door.

"Let's get to our ship."

"Wait." Master Ti grabbed my arm. "Our friends, the non-Jedi ones, are still on Teth. We must go collect them first."

"Alright. If you don't mind, we will wait with you on Teth until you have made your decision," K'kruhk said. I nodded.

"I see no problem with that. We are all Jedi here, even though we seem to have made two separate orders. I am the Master of the Jedi order based on Teth, and Master Saa was our Grand Master…"

"'Was' your Grand Master?" Drakka questioned.

"She was killed not long ago…by Darth Tenebris," Master Ti responded.

We stepped out the door in silence, but I could see the mourning expression on K'kruhk's face. Master T'raa Saa had been a good friend of his.

Bultar sat outside the door, her gaze on the ground. When Shanti spotted her, the tension in the room became so strong I felt it even without the force.

"You have been cleansed," Shanti said simply. Bultar stood and the two women faced each other.

"Yes," she said. "I think I have."

Shanti's fists clenched. "I know it isn't right to be angry with you…but I hate you all the same." The changeling's arms were rigid against her sides, as if she was holding herself back from striking.

"No." Bultar spoke, her voice shaking. "You have every right to hate me. I killed your daughter. I basically killed your apprentice. I tried to kill you and your wife multiple times. I turned one of your closest friends into a vegetable. All because I couldn't see past my own short-sighted jealousy." She dropped to her knees. "You have every right to my life."

Shanti's hand twitched. I considered stepping in, but K'kruhk put his hand on my shoulder and shook his head.

"This is between them," he whispered. Shaak Ti and the others who were also awake were watching with wide eyes, waiting to see what she would do.

Shanti removed her lightsabers from her belt, only to drop them on the ground with a metallic clatter. She turned around, her eyes closed.

"I can't," she said simply. "Stand up."

Bultar stood after a moment, and then someone behind her moved. Irka streaked forward, and in a second had her lightsaber was in between the former Sith's shoulder blades.

"If you can't do it, Shanti, I will," she said. Shanti started to turn around, but she was too slow. With a flick of her thumb Irka ignited the crystal and a blue blade stuck Bultar's heart straight through. Blood gushed from her mouth and she crumpled to the floor. Shanti whipped around the rest of the way, falling to her knees beside the redeemed Sith.

"Irka!" Master Ti gasped. Shanti lifted Bultar's body gently.

"You shouldn't have done that," Shanti said. "She could have been saved! She was carrying a child, don't you remember?"

Irka sheathed her saber, clipping it back onto her belt. It was disturbing that a lightsaber wound had caused so much blood, gushing and covering Shanti and the broken body of Bultar. I had known her only for a few minutes, but I felt a loss all the same

"A child that had no right to live," Irka was saying. "A child of a vegetable and a murderer. And Tenebris was offering up her life, so it isn't murder. That bitch deserved to die and you know it better than anyone! Why so much compassion?"

"Because that is the Jedi way, Irka," Master Ti said. "I hate to say it, but perhaps…never mind." She put her hand on the Mandalorian's shoulder. She brushed the older master off and turned away.

"Let's get back to Teth and collect the others," a new voice said. The two Twi'leks had woken up.

"I'm Jedi Master Depa Billaba," I said to the older one. She smiled faintly.

"Jedi Master Aayla Secura. This is Jedi Knight Tann Gell."

Gell had tears in her eyes. She looked to Shanti and flinched as their eyes met. The changeling then stepped forward and embraced the young Jedi.

"It isn't your fault," she whispered. "She was messing with your head-"

"My head was perfectly clear, Master, as was Master Secura's," Gell said, pushing the older Jedi away. "She just intensified feelings we already possessed."

"And if she hadn't interfered, would you have done what you did?" Shanti asked. Both Twi'leks shook their heads.

"Then it is not your fault," Master Ti put in. "Come. We have much to do; we have dead to bury, and many things to mourn."


End file.
